Ludhiana: In a major development in connection with the Ludhiana Court Blast case, a preliminary investigation has revealed that the person who died in the blast was himself handling the explosive substance, informed Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. The forensic team and the Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad, after preliminary analysis, have ascertained, that a “fairly good quantity of high-grade explosives had been used” in the Ludhiana court blast on Thursday. “High-grade explosives are usually PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) or RDX (Royal Demolition eXplosive),” a source said.
Following a blast that rocked Ludhiana’s District Court Complex on Thursday, killing 2 persons and injuring 6 others, Punjab police registered an FIR against unidentified people. In the FIR, Sections 302, 307, 124A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and Explosive Substance Act have been invoked. “The next couple of hours are crucial as final tests will ascertain the exact make of the bomb and confirm if shrapnels, etc had been used,” the source said.
According to the police, the explosion took place in a washroom on the second floor of the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana around 12:22 pm. Meanwhile, sources said that the victim of the Ludhiana court blast is yet to be identified as the body was mutilated beyond recognition. Only a tattoo could be seen on the body, which could provide some clues to the identity of the deceased. Punjab Dy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has discussed the possible role of Pakistan in the attack saying, “Why would Pakistan want Punjab to be stable? All our wars have maximum infliction near our border. We are not ruling out anything. External forces would never want that, because if Punjab is stable, India is stable.”