Grenade blast outside Punjab BJP HQ in Sector 37, Chandigarh raised alarm. BJP says working president Ashwani Sharma narrowly escaped. NIA probe underway.

A grenade blast outside Punjab BJP HQ in Sector 37, Chandigarh raised alarm. BJP says working president Ashwani Sharma narrowly escaped. NIA probe underway.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, April 2

A grenade blast rocked the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh’s Sector 37 on Wednesday evening, sending panic through a busy stretch that also houses Law Bhavan, a blood bank, and a petrol pump. No casualties were reported, but the BJP immediately pointed fingers at what it called a targeted attack — and specifically named its own working president, Ashwani Sharma, as the possible intended victim.

Here is what happened, what the BJP claimed, and what investigators have found so far.

Q: What exactly happened outside the BJP office on April 1?

The explosion took place outside the Punjab BJP office at around 5 pm, according to Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur. A parked Honda Activa scooter was visible at the scene, and the blast left approximately 70–80 pellet-like marks on the wall of the party office. The blast caused minor damage to a scooter, shattered a car’s windowpanes, and left splinter marks on walls.

Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur confirmed: “At around 5 pm, we got information that an explosion was heard near the BJP office in Sector 37. Our teams reached here, and prima facie it appears that a small, crude-type bomb was thrown here.”

Q: What is the BJP’s claim — was Ashwani Sharma the target?

The BJP has not made a formal police complaint naming Sharma as a target, but its spokespersons have drawn a pointed connection. BJP national spokesperson R P Singh said on X that working president Ashwani Sharma could have been the target, noting that Sharma had been present at the same office for the last two days and had just left for Delhi for a political programme.

Singh also cited an earlier security warning: “Just 15 days ago, he was cautioned by the SSP of Pathankot to suspend his morning walks due to a specific threat perception. Whether there is any link between that warning and today’s blast is a matter for investigation, but the coincidence cannot be ignored.”

BJP leader Vineet Joshi, who was inside the building with other party leaders at the time, said Sharma had been staying at the party office for the past four days and had left for Delhi at 6 am.

Q: Who has claimed responsibility for the attack?

The banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) claimed responsibility for the attack. In a message released in Punjabi, one Sukhjinder Singh Babbar said violence against Punjab’s youth would be met with retaliation. The blast is claimed to be in retaliation for the encounter death of Ranjit Singh in Gurdaspur.

Ranjit Singh was among those accused in the February 2026 killing of two policemen near the Pakistan border and was killed in an alleged police encounter on February 25, 2026.

Q: Is there CCTV evidence? What does it show?

A video surfaced on social media reportedly showing a man pulling the pin of what appears to be a grenade and throwing it before fleeing. Authorities confirmed they are verifying the authenticity of the footage. CCTV footage from a nearby petrol pump shows a person running away from the scene, and investigators believe the individual may be the same person who hurled the device.

Police noted that the point from which the grenade was allegedly thrown is a blind spot with no direct camera coverage. CCTV footage from the area revealed two suspects moving around the BJP office on a motorcycle before and after the blast. A manhunt has been launched to trace them.

Q: Which agencies are investigating?

A Central Forensic Science Laboratory team was called in to collect evidence, an NIA team visited the site, and a bomb detection squad also joined to sanitise the area. The Anti-Gangster Task Force of Punjab Police has also joined the probe, along with Chandigarh Crime Branch and Crime Cell teams.

According to Chandigarh Police, a viral video by the same group showing a person pulling the lever of a grenade appears to be authentic, though further clarity would emerge after a detailed investigation.

Q: What is the BJP’s political response?

BJP state chief Sunil Jakhar said: “First, there were continuous grenade attacks on police stations in Punjab; then recently, a statue of Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar was vandalised in Hoshiarpur; and today, the BJP state-level office in Chandigarh was attacked.” He called the series of incidents attempts to disrupt communal harmony and accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party of failing to rein in criminal activities.

Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also demanded a swift investigation, and Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the blast, though he called it a failure of the central intelligence apparatus rather than only the state government.

Q: What does the opposition say?

Warring said the incident reflected the complete failure of the security and intelligence apparatus and the Union Home Ministry, arguing that if Chandigarh — the capital housing two governors and two chief ministers with extensive security arrangements — was not safe, the rest of Punjab was in a precarious state.

Q: What is the broader security context in Punjab?

The blast comes against a backdrop of recent incidents of militant activity in the region. Multiple grenade attacks on police stations have been recorded in recent months in Punjab. The BKI’s claim, if verified, would mark an escalation to targeting political party offices in the Union Territory of Chandigarh itself — a significant threshold.

Investigators have not yet confirmed the BKI claim or established a direct link between the Pathankot threat warning to Sharma and the Chandigarh blast. The NIA probe is expected to determine whether the attack was a targeted political hit or a broader act of intimidation.

North Desk will update this story as the investigation develops.