Ludhiana Court Complex blast: 1 dead, Centre seeks report
New Delhi : A man has been killed and six have been seriously injured in a blast inside a court complex in Ludhiana in Punjab on Friday. Chief Minister Charanjit Channi has alleged that the blast has been carried to disrupt law and order in the city ahead of assembly polls.
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.
The blast has been reported at 12:22 pm inside a bathroom on the second floor of the building. A section of bathroom has been damaged in the blast, nearby rooms were also reported damaged.
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 has exposed a high security lapse in the building so close to the Deputy Commissioner of Police's office in the heart of Ludhiana city.
"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.
