Chandigarh : The Punjab Police has apprehended the main accused in the grenade attack on the residence of former Punjab minister and BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandar, said the sources in the police, adding that attack was handiwork of the Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence to spoil religious harmony in the State.
According to the sources, the mastermind of the attack is identified as Zeeshan Akhtar, who is a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The sources said that the attack was a "cross-border planned attack."
Akhtar is also wanted in the NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder case. A blast was reported outside the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Punjab's Jalandhar in the early hours today.
"Around 1 am, we got information of a blast here, after which we reached the spot and started the investigation. The forensic team is investigating the matter...We are also monitoring the CCTV... The forensic team is investigating whether it is a grenade attack or something else," Dhanpreet Kaur, Jalandhar Police Commissioner, told reporters.
Kalia said that he was sleeping when the blast occurred outside his residence. "There was a blast at around 1 am... I was sleeping, and I thought that it was the sound of thunder...Later, I was informed that a blast had taken place...after this, I sent my gunman to the police station...CCTV is being investigated; forensic experts are also present here," Kalia said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravneet Bittu met Kalia after a blast was reported outside his residence and said that there is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab. "Punjab has gone through things like these, but even then, grenades were not used like this. It seems as if grenades are easily available in toy shops. Manoranjan Kalia is one of the most senior leaders in the state and has seen the years of militancy in Punjab," Bittu told news agency.
He attacked the Punjab government and said it had lost control of the law and order situation in the state. "An e-rikshaw passes by his residence at around 1:15 am, and a grenade is thrown inside. His vehicles and the exteriors of his residence have borne the impact of the blast. The government has lost control of the law and order situation in the state... There is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab. Drugs are being openly used, and even police personnel are being caught with drugs. Two groups have formed in the state- one of those who have come from Delhi, and the second one, of those who are sitting here in Punjab," he added.