Blast damages railway track near Punjab’s Patiala, triggers security concerns
Patiala: A blast was reported near a railway track in Patiala, Punjab, officials said on Tuesday, adding that no severe damage was reported.
The incident occurred late on Monday night.
According to authorities, an unidentified body was also found near the Shambhu-Ambala rail track where the explosion occurred. However, officials said it is not yet clear whether the body is linked to the blast.
The explosion caused partial damage to the railway track, said Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Varun Sharma. The incident took place at around 10 p.m. near a track primarily used for freight trains.
“Preliminary assessment indicated that it was not a low-intensity explosion but an attempted detonation. It is suspected that the individual involved in the attempt died at the scene, as a body was recovered. No other loss of life or damage to property was reported,” SSP Sharma added.
Following the incident, senior police officials, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police and the SSP, rushed to the site to assess the situation and initiate a probe.
The development has drawn sharp political reactions, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) targeting the state government over what it described as a deteriorating law-and-order situation.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the incident, calling it a “serious intelligence failure” and alleging that warnings had been ignored.
“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 and posts, and even an RPG attack on the State Intelligence Headquarters,” Badal said in a post on X.
Criticising the Aam Aadmi Party-led government, he added, “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.”
SAD General Secretary Bikram Singh Majithia also criticised the government, highlighting a series of recent incidents.
“Massive explosion on the Shambhu–Ambala railway track, tracks damaged, body mutilated, train services halted. After Sirhind blast and suspicious recovery in Gurdaspur, repeated incidents raise serious security concerns in Punjab,” Majithia said.
Questioning the government’s response, he added, “What is Chief Minister and Home Minister Bhagwant Mann doing amid this situation. No clear action plan or high-level review of law and order so far. Police being used as a political tool, with security decisions driven by political considerations rather than public safety.”
He further alleged, “Busy protecting those defacing MPs’ houses with ‘gaddar’ graffiti and shielding truck union leaders, while the common citizen suffers. Fears growing of a return to the law and order situation of the 1980s and 1990s.”
Raising concerns over governance, Majithia posed several questions, stating, “Is there a functioning government? Who takes responsibility? How many more incidents before action? This reflects a serious failure, not just negligence?”
Police said further investigation into the blast and the recovery of the unidentified body is underway.