Ludhiana Blast: The court is located near the Deputy Commissioner's office in the heart of the city.
Highlights
- Punjab Chief Minister said the blast was carried to disrupt law and order
- The blast reportedly took place at 12:22 pm inside a bathroom
- The district court was crowded when the explosion took place
A man was killed and six seriously injured in a blast inside a court complex in Ludhiana in Punjab this afternoon. Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said that the blast was carried to disrupt law and order in the city ahead of assembly polls.
Here are the top 10 updates on Ludhiana Court Blast:
The blast reportedly took place at 12:22 pm inside a bathroom on the second floor of the building. The explosion damaged the walls of the bathroom and ripped through a section of the building, besides shattering glass in nearby rooms. The district court was crowded and functioning when the explosion took place.
In visuals, the injured people -- two of them women -- were carried out of the building and police were seen trying to evacuate the complex.
A First Information Report has been filed against unknown people under various sections of the Explosives Act, Sedition, anti-terror law UAPA, murder and attempt to murder. A team of the National Investigation Agency or NIA investigated the blast site.
Ludhiana's police chief Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said one body has been recovered. "Probably that person was either carrying explosive or was very near to it. We are awaiting arrival of NSG team from Delhi. Four injured are out of danger," he added.
The incident exposes a huge security lapse in a building so close to the Deputy Commissioner of Police's office in the heart of Ludhiana city. Investigations are focusing on how the explosives were smuggled into the court complex despite security.
Chief Minister Charanjit Channi condemned the blast and urged people to stay calm. "Anybody trying to disturb the peace and harmony of the state, will be taken to task," he said.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was among the first to react to the incident, which has taken place in the middle of a fierce campaign for the Punjab election early next year. In a tweet, Mr Singh asked Punjab police to investigate the incident thoroughly.
"The blast in Ludhiana is extremely condemnable. My condolences to the families of those who've lost their lives and prayers of quick recovery for the injured. Strict action must be taken at the earliest against those guilty," tweeted Congress's Rahul Gandhi.
"First sacrilege, now blast. Some people want to destroy the peace in Punjab but we will not allow such plans to succeed. We should stand together," tweeted Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi.
In 2017, six persons, including three children, were killed in an explosion near the venue of the poll campaign of a Congress candidate.
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