Jalandhar Blast: Accused Arrested, Lawrence Bishnoi Gang & Pakistan's ISI Behind Grenade Attack

Jalandhar Blast: In a swift breakthrough, Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested those behind the grenade attack outside the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar. The accused are identified as gangsters Zeeshan Akhtar and Shahzad Bhatti, who have links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

What Cops Say?

ADGP Arpit Shukla, at a press conference, said that the blast was carried out bythe Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Also, the incident has links to Pakistan's ISI, which has tried to disrupt religious harmony in Punjab.

"It was a major incident to disturb communal harmony. As per the initial investigation, this was a major conspiracy of Pakistan's ISI. Zeeshan Akhtar, who is a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was the mastermind of the case... Our teams are conducting raids at different locations so that the investigation in this case is finished as soon as possible. We are also in touch with the central agencies and a big operation has been launched..." ANI quoted ADGP Shukla as saying.

Lawrence Bishnoi, who has been imprisoned since 2014, faces multiple criminal charges, including those for extortion and murder. His gang is reportedly linked to over 700 shooters operating across the world.

Notably, his gang is accused in attempted attacks on Salman Khan. Also, Bishnoi's associate Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

The Blast

In the wee hours of Tuesday, the blast occurred. While nobody was hurt in the incident, an aluminum partition was damaged as well as glass windows of his home and vehicles.

Responding to the incident, Kalia told ANI: "There was a blast at around 1 am...I was sleeping, and I thought that it was the sound of thunder...Later I was informed that a blast had taken place...after this, I sent my gunman to the police station..."

Talking about the incident, Commissioner of police, Dhanpreet Kaur, said, "Around 1 am, we got information of blast here. After which we reached the spot and started the investigation. The forensic team is investigating the matter...We are also monitoring the CCTV. The forensic team is investigating whether it is a grenade attack or something else,"

On the other hand, Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Happy Passia has claimed the responsibility for the blast, indicating that his organisation is closely working woth the Khalistani terror outfits and the ISI.

10 Explosions In 4 Months

It has to be noted that many such incidents of explosions have been reported in the last five months, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur. At least 10 explosions have been reported between November 2024 and February 2025, Hindustan Times reported.