New Delhi: The blast inside the district court complex in Punjab's Ludhiana on Thursday triggered a plethora of reactions from politicians across parties, with some blaming Pakistan and anti-national forces behind the incident.
The blast left one person dead and five injured, said Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report on the incident.
Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi met the injured people later in the day and said that some anti-national forces were trying to spread anarchy in the state ahead of the election, PTI reported.
"As elections are nearing, some anti-national and anti-state forces are trying to commit such disgusting acts and for this the government is alert and people should also be alert," Channi said.
Speaking to reporters, Channi said, prima facie, the person who operated the bomb was the one who died in the blast.
"Which agencies are trying to disturb Punjab's peace will become clear as investigations are on," he said. The CM further said that those responsible would be dealt with sternly.
On the other hand, Punjab deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa blamed Pakistan for the incident.
"Patients have minor injuries. One of them said the explosion sound was too loud as if a building fell. Pakistan doesn't want us stable," ANI quoted Randhawa as saying.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called for strict action against those guilty.
"The blast in Ludhiana is extremely condemnable. My condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives and prayers of quick recovery for the injured. Strict action must be taken at the earliest against those guilty," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the Ludhiana court complex blast
"Some people want to create disturbance in Punjab before the state Assembly elections. The people of Punjab should stay together," Kejriwal said.
The district court was functioning when the blast took place on the second floor of the complex. The intensity of the blast was so huge that one of the walls in the court complex got damaged and the windows of some vehicles parked in the premises were shattered.
Calling the incident "unfortunate", Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said fear was being spread in the name of a political agenda.
"That's the culmination of negative politics; innocent people get killed for votes' polarisation. If everything remains fine for about 4 years, why do a series of events happen only 1-2 months prior to (Assembly) elections? That's what happened in Bengal. I condemn this cheap politics. We'll give a befitting reply to those who want to divide us," ANI quoted Sidhu as saying.
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana expressed deep shock at the incident and asked the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court to enquire about the developments.