Baba Siddique murder accused behind bombing at BJP leader's home
What's the story
Punjab police have arrested two suspects over a grenade attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoranjan Kalia's house on Tuesday. Police stated the attack was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, a close associate of mobster Lawrence Bishnoi and an absconding accused in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla confirmed police were now on the lookout for two other suspects believed to be involved in the conspiracy.
Attack details
Details of the attack on BJP leader's house
The grenade blast early on Tuesday caused extensive damage to Kalia's house, but no casualties were reported. The blast completely wrecked the aluminum partition, broke windows, and left a small hole in the floor at the entrance of the house. Kalia was home during the incident but escaped unharmed. He mistook it for a transformer blast at first but realized its intensity when his SUV and motorcycle parked in the courtyard were damaged too.
Investigation
CCTV footage reveals e-rickshaw before blast
CCTV footage showed an e-rickshaw arriving at the house before the blast. In the video, a dog in the vicinity was seen running away in fear after the explosion. Police and forensic teams reached the spot soon after to examine it. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur later confirmed a hand grenade caused this blast and that a thorough investigation was on.
Political response
Political leaders condemn grenade attack
The attack has triggered political outrage, with opposition parties alleging the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has failed to keep law and order in the state. Condemning the attack as a "well-planned conspiracy" to destabilize Punjab, BJP leaders, including Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, offered condemnation. Punjab cabinet minister Mohinder Bhagat and AAP leader Pawan Kumar Tinu also called on Kalia, offering support and condemnation.
Twitter Post
CCTV captures blast
#UPDATE: CCTV footages of the assailant came riding an e-rickshaw at the Manoranjan Kalia residence, threw the grenade and fled off in the same vehicle https://t.co/jLbgSilY6b pic.twitter.com/mcUBoCVvpy
— Akashdeep Thind (@thind_akashdeep) April 8, 2025
Record
Akhtar is facing 11 FIRs
Akhtar is facing 11 FIRs for heinous crimes in Jalandhar, two of which are related to incidents in Haryana's Kaithal district. Akhtar, also known as 'Jaisy Silander and 'Julmi,' was born in 2003 in Jalandhar's Shanker village. His family was originally from Maharashtra. According to Punjab Police documents, he was also linked to Pune-based gangster Saurabh Mahakal, who had been questioned by Mumbai Police in relation to a threatening letter written to star Salman Khan's father, Salim Khan.