Chandigarh, April 3 Two suspects have been identified in connection with a blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Sector 37 here, a senior Chandigarh police official said on Friday.
He further informed that the suspects have been identified as Gurtej Singh and Amanpreet Singh of Punjab's Rupnagar district, and efforts are on to apprehend them. "Further investigations are underway," he added.
According to sources, the Chandigarh police are coordinating with their Punjab counterparts to locate the suspects, who are said to have taken a bus towards Kharar after fleeing the scene on the day of the incident.
On Friday, the Punjab Police conducted raids in Rupnagar district in search of the suspects, sources added.
Amanpreet's family stated that some police officers in plain clothes visited their home to ask questions. Meanwhile, Gurtej's mother informed reporters that the family has not been in contact with him for the past 3 to 4 years.
The explosion occurred around 5 pm on Wednesday when a suspected crude explosive device was thrown near the office, officials had said. No casualties were reported.
An FIR under relevant sections of the Explosives Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered in connection with the incident.
Following the explosion, police cordoned off the area and deployed personnel while a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) inspected the site.
An unverified video that appeared on social media Wednesday evening shows a man pulling the pin from a blue-colored grenade and throwing it, while another person records the act. The duo is then seen fleeing moments before the blast.
Their faces were not visible in the 10-second video, the veracity of which was yet to be ascertained. CCTV camera footage also showed the suspects running across the road after the explosion.
In a separate unverified social media post attributed to Sukhjinder Singh Babbar of the banned Babbar Khalsa International, the outfit claimed responsibility for the incident.
Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur said on Wednesday, "Prima facie, it appears that a small crude-type device was thrown." The BJP's state unit chief Sunil Jakhar had dubbed it an "attack" at the party office.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the blast and called it a "matter of grave concern."