Who Was Jagroop Singh, Man Killed in 'Detonation Attempt' At Patiala Railway Track? How an Undamaged Phone Revealed His Identity

New Delhi: The man who was killed in a massive blast on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) track in Punjab's Patiala district late Monday night has been identified as Jagroop Singh.

Local police suspect that Singh was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated prematurely while he was attempting to plant it.

Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma said that police teams are collecting scientific evidence from the site and have launched a detailed investigation in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) in connection with the case.

Low-intensity explosion

The police official said, "Patiala Police received information about a low-intensity explosion last night at a railway track at the Shambhu-Haryana border. I, along with DIG Patiala Range and other senior officers, reached the spot and assessed the situation. We came to know that this was not a low-intensity explosion but an attempted detonation. The person who was trying to carry out the attempted detonation died during it. His body has been recovered. No other casualty or damage to property occurred."

The explosion took place at approximately 9 pm near Bathonia village, situated between Rajpura and Shambhu, sparking a high alert throughout Punjab and neighboring Haryana. According to officials, the blast damaged a section of the railway track, resulting in a temporary suspension of freight traffic along that route.

Who was the deceased?

The victim of the Patiala blast has been identified as Jagroop Singh, a resident of Panjwar village in the Tarn Taran district. 

Despite the intensity of the explosion, which left the victim's body severely mutilated and scattered parts as far as 500 meters from the track, his mobile phone remained undamaged. This device, along with a bus ticket for a journey from Sirhind to Rajpura found on his remains, allowed authorities to establish his identity.

In an exclusive statement, DGP Railway Shashi Prabha Tiwari confirmed that the high-intensity blast was intended to spread terror and disrupt the development of the Dedicated Freight Corridor. 

Following the incident, railway security has been significantly heightened in Jammu and at critical points along the Punjab-Jammu rail link, with increased deployment of GRP and Railway Police. While the motive appears to be the sabotage of freight operations, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the act.

Political reactions pour in

Meanwhile, political reactions have intensified in the state, with both the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) targeting the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the law and order situation in Punjab. 

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused the AAP government of being limited to serving its own interests and prioritising its survival in the state, rather than maintaining law and order. 

Raja Warring wrote on X, “Punjab has woken up to two disturbing incidents of killing of two persons in Batala and a bomb blast on the railway track between Rajpura and Shambhu in Patiala district. These are ominous indications. The hard-earned peace is at stake in Punjab. With the Aam Aadmi Party government already preoccupied to ensure its survival, it is obvious that the saboteurs and criminals are exploiting the situation.” 

"We have been repeatedly cautioning and warning the government against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Sadly, the government's priorities remain confined to its own survival rather than saving the life and property of the people of Punjab. Instead of keeping an eye on the criminals and saboteurs, the AAP government seems to be busy keeping an eye on its own MLAs for obvious reasons," the Congress leader added. 

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that CM Bhagwant Mann was in a “deep slumber.” 

The SAD wrote on X, "Strongly condemn the serious intelligence failure that led to a cowardly #blast attempt on the Delhi-Rajpura railway track near Shambhu last night. It is clear that no preventive action was taken despite a specific threat being received days earlier. This comes after multiple blasts on police stations & posts, and even an RPG attack on the State Intelligence Headquarters. 

"Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is also the Home Minister, must come out of his deep slumber and take urgent steps to secure vital infrastructure. His callous approach is pushing Punjab back into the old dark era, which is totally unacceptable," the post read.

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