A parked scooter caught fire outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar on Tuesday evening, sparking panic in the area. No casualties were reported. Police have launched an investigation.
A scooter burst into flames around 8 pm on Tuesday near BSF Chowk in Jalandhar, Punjab, outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters. The incident occurred on a busy road linking the city to the Amritsar-Delhi highway. Locals reported hearing a loud explosion-like sound, but Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said it is premature to call it a blast.
The scooter belonged to 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh, a parcel delivery worker in the area. Gurpreet was approaching the vehicle when it caught fire and immediately called his father. Police cordoned off the area, called in the bomb squad, and began examining CCTV footage. Gurpreet is cooperating with the investigation.
Opposition parties criticized the AAP government over the incident. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called it a failure of law and order, stating, "This kind of 'blast' near BSF headquarters is highly concerning." Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia questioned if Punjab's security has completely failed amid recent explosions.
