Blast at house of cop’s relative in Punjab’s Gurdaspur; ‘law and order worsening,’ says MP Sukhjinder Randhawa

“Around 8 pm, Kotli Surat Mallian police station received information that a blast sound was heard at the residence of Sukhdev Singh in Raimal village. After visiting the residence, the police have begun their investigation. No damage or harm has been reported,” Riputapan Singh Sandhu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Gurdaspur, said.

CCTV footage of the incident purportedly shows motorbike-riding accused carrying out the attack.

As per unconfirmed reports, gangster Happy Passia has claimed responsibility for the attack in a Facebook post, saying that Jatinder had raided his house two months ago and mistreated his family. Passia had previously been booked for allegedly targeting police stations and outposts in Punjab.

A social media post, allegedly on behalf of Babbar Khalsa International, warned police officers “with a similar mindset to think about their own families before engaging in such actions”. The post accused the police of conducting fake encounters and harassing innocent families and warned of retaliatory action targeting police officials.

While 11 explosions have been reported in the state in the last four months, this is the first such incident near a police official’s house.

Sukhdev said that he and his family had finished eating dinner on Monday and were getting ready to sleep when the explosion took place. Sukhdev alleged that the attackers may have mistaken his house to be that of his nephew. Jatinder’s house was located close to his house but the family has not been living there for a while now, Sukhdev said. He also claimed that a few months ago, there had been an attempt to fire at him, which he had reported to the police at the time.

Gurdaspur Congress MP Sukhjinder Randhawa visited the family and hit out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the “worsening law and order situation in the state”. “Last night, a grenade attack took place at the home of my fellow police officer’s uncle in Rai Mal village in my constituency, Dera Baba Nanak. Before your police administration tries to pass it off as a ‘tire or compressor explosion,’ I am sharing pictures of this dangerous incident,” Randhawa said.

“The ongoing explosions in border areas and the chief minister’s silence are worsening Punjab’s law and order situation day by day. CM Sahib, the people of Punjab are living in fear because they have lost trust in you and your administration. If you continue to ignore the law and order situation in the region, you will be held responsible for any worsening circumstances. Thankfully, no one was injured,” Randhawa added.