The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into the bomb blast near a police station in Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh, as the state government waits for clarity on who was behind the incident.
Speaking to reporters in Solan district on Saturday, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the investigation is at a crucial stage but said that conclusions can only be drawn once the central agency submits its findings.
“Since the matter is under investigation, anything regarding the perpetrators of the incident could be revealed only after the NIA submits its report,” Sukhu said.
He added that state forensic teams have already collected samples from the blast site and CCTV footage from the surrounding area is being examined.
The chief minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence for divyangjan in Kandaghat. The blast took place in the early hours of January 1, jolting residents of Nalagarh in Solan district awake.
The explosion occurred in a lane close to the Nalagarh police station. No injuries or casualties were reported, but the impact was felt across the area.
Windows of nearby buildings cracked, including those of an Army canteen located around 40 metres from the spot. Locals said the sound of the blast could be heard from a distance of 400 to 500 metres.
Soon after the incident, Babbar Khalsa International and the Punjab Sovereignty Alliance claimed responsibility through a social media post that is yet to be verified.
The post alleged that an improvised explosive device was used and described the blast as retaliation for the Himachal Pradesh police “not taking action against smuggling of synthetic drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh into Punjab.”
The message also carried a warning. It said that if no action was taken, “IEDs would be planted in vehicles and headquarters of the police administration.”
Police have registered a case at the Nalagarh Police Station under BNS Sections 324(4) (mischief) and 125 (act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), along with provisions of the Explosive Substances Act.
The Nalagarh blast comes against the backdrop of similar attacks in neighbouring Punjab, where police stations have been targeted in recent months.
Punjab’s Director General of Police has accused Pakistan of trying to disturb peace and has said that the masterminds behind these attacks are operating from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Gulf countries.
