Chandigarh, 8 April

Two people have been arrested in connection with the blast at Punjab BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's Jalandhar house. The e-rickshaw used in the crime has also been recovered. Addressing the media here, Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the crime was committed to disturb communal harmony. "It was a big conspiracy by Pakistan's ISI. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and (Pakistani gangster) Shehzad Bhatti's aide Zeeshan Akhtar hatched the conspiracy," Shukla said. Possible links to Babbar Khalsa International are also being probed, he added, adding that Punjab Police is in touch with central agencies.

The blast at Kalia's house in Jalandhar on 8 April damaged the aluminium partition, shattered window panes of his house, damaged his SUV and a motorcycle parked in the courtyard. Police said no one was injured in the blast. Former cabinet minister and former Punjab BJPpresident Kalia was at home at the time of the blast. He is also a member of the BJP's national executive. In the past four-five months, there have been several incidents of blasts targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur, but this is the first such incident where the house of a prominent politician was targeted. Last month, there was a blast outside a temple in Amritsar.