A blast inside the district court complex in Ludhiana on Thursday, December 23, left one person dead and three injured, the police said. The blast that took place in the wash room of the second floor of the court complex was so powerful that one of the walls in the complex got damaged and windows of some vehicles parked in the premises were shattered. The district court was functioning when the blast took place.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana has expressed shock at the incident and has asked theChief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court to enquire about it. Condemning the blast, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said some anti-national and anti-state forces were trying to commit such disgusting acts ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Talking to reporters in Chandigarh, Channi said he will visit Ludhiana to take stock of the situation.

“As (Assembly) elections are coming near, some anti-national and anti-state forces are trying to commit such disgusting acts and for this the government is alert and the people should also be alert,” he said, adding the culprits will not be spared. 

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the area has been sealed and forensic teams will collect samples from the blast site. Replying to a question on preliminary investigations, Bhullar said at this point, it is very difficult to say anything, and added that investigation was underway.

The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report on the blast inside the Ludhiana district court complex. In a communication, the Union home ministry asked the Punjab government to send the report as early as possible, giving details of the incident. The ministry also asked the state government to inform it about the findings of the initial investigation and who could be possibly involved in the explosion, officials said.