Ludhiana blast: INC's Sunil Jakhar says CM Channi 'can't afford to be seen floundering'

After the sacrilege attempt at Golden Temple and a blast at a court complex in Ludhiana, senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said that people need to be assured of the Punjab government's ability to maintain peace and harmony. In a clear message to Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the ex-PCC chief said that the chief minister cannot afford to flounder on this account.

Taking to Twitter, Jakhar wrote, "People of Punjab can see through the evil designs behind today’s bomb blast coming soon after attempts at desecrations. But they need to be assured of the commitment and ability of the govt to maintain peace & harmony. The CM can’t afford to be seen floundering on this account. (sic)" 

Condemning the blast, Chief Minister Channi had, earlier in the day, claimed that anti-nation and anti-state forces were behind such "disgusting acts" before Assembly elections. He also asserted that the culprits will not be spared.

Calling it 'dirty politics', Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also linked the explosion to the Assembly elections. He claimed that the series of incidents were occurring ahead of polls in a bid to 'divide' the people of the state.

Blast at Ludhiana District Court Complex

An explosion jolted Ludhiana' District Court Complex on Thursday, killing two and injuring six others. The blast took place on the second floor of the building, reportedly in a washroom. Due to the massive intensity of the blast, it damaged walls and ripped off parts of the building.

An FIR has been registered into the incident under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosive Substance Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

A post-blast investigation team of the National Security Guard (NSG) also visited the explosion site to find out "trigger mechanism, kind of explosive used in the blast, its intensity" and other things linked to it, ANI reported, quoting sources.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that one body had been recovered from the site. "Probably that person was either carrying explosive or was very near to it," he said,

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa met those injured in the explosion. CM Channi has announced free treatment for those who were injured in the blast. 

(Image: ANI)