Punjab was placed on heightened security alert on the night of May 5, IST after two separate explosions rocked military installations within hours of each other, one outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar and another near an Army camp in Amritsar. Although no casualties have been reported in either incident, the back-to-back blasts have raised alarms across security agencies, prompting a swift multi-agency response. Authorities are now investigating whether the two incidents are connected, given the close timing and the sensitive nature of the locations.
The first explosion occurred at around 8:15 PM near BSF Chowk in Jalandhar, where a scooter parked outside the Punjab Frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force caught fire. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud blast-like sound, followed by the vehicle bursting into flames, sending people fleeing in panic. CCTV footage from the scene captured at least one person running for cover as the fire erupted. The scooter's rider, identified as 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh, a delivery agent, had parked the vehicle and was approaching it when the fire broke out. Police confirmed that Singh is fully cooperating with investigators, though the cause of the incident remains under scrutiny. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur has yet to classify the explosion as deliberate but emphasized that the possibility of an explosion had not been ruled out. Forensic teams, a dog squad, and a bomb disposal unit have all been deployed to the site.
Just over two hours later, a second explosion was reported near an Army camp in the Khasa area of Amritsar at around 10:30 PM. The blast was heard from a distance of 1.5 kilometers and was powerful enough to shake the camp’s boundary walls. Security forces and forensic teams were quickly dispatched to the location, which has since been cordoned off as investigations continue.
As authorities work to determine whether the two explosions are related, surveillance across the region has been heightened. The incidents have drawn sharp political reactions, with Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring calling the situation “deeply alarming.” Warring criticized both the AAP-led state government and the BJP-led Centre for their handling of security, noting that the explosion in a crowded area exposed a serious breakdown in law and order. He emphasized the national security concerns posed by such incidents, especially in a sensitive border state like Punjab.
The explosions have triggered widespread concerns about the stability of the region, with security agencies closely monitoring developments. Investigators are piecing together evidence from both locations to understand the full scope of these attacks and their potential connection.
