Blast near Himachal police station draws NIA visit; pro-Khalistan groups issue online threat

Crater near police station, CCTV scan on; Himachal Police alert districts as claim’s credibility remains unverified

• NIA team visited Nalagarh blast site in Himachal Pradesh for investigation
• Pro-Khalistan groups claimed responsibility but credibility is unverified
• Police issued statewide alert and registered a case under BNS and Explosive Act

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A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Friday visited the site of an explosion near the police station at Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, even as pro-Khalistan groups Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the Punjab Sovereignty Alliance (PSA) purportedly claimed responsibility in a social media post, police said, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

The blast took place on Thursday morning near the Nalagarh police station, officials said. The explosion left a crater around two-and-a-half feet deep.

What police have said so far

“The investigation is on. We have scanned the CCTV footage, but have not found anything suspicious so far. The officials from forensic science department visited the spot and collected the samples,” Baddi superintendent of police (SP) Vinod Dhiman said, Hindustan Times reported.

Police later issued a statement saying separate teams had been constituted to scan CCTV footage and that coordination had been established with the Punjab Police and the NIA, Hindustan Times reported.

The social media claim — and what remains unclear

As the probe continued, BKI and PSA purportedly claimed responsibility for the blast in a social media post, Hindustan Times reported.

Officials said the credibility of the post had not been ascertained. “We too have seen the post on social media but the credibility of the post is yet to be established,” the SP said, as cited by Hindustan Times.

Statewide alert, case registered

In the wake of the incident, directions were issued from Police Headquarters in Shimla for all districts to remain on alert, officials said, according to Hindustan Times.

A case has been registered at Nalagarh police station under sections 324(4) (mischief) and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act, police said in a statement, Hindustan Times reported.