28 April,2026 05:02 PM IST | Chandigarh | mid-day online correspondent
Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation, police said. Representational pic
The blast that occurred at a dedicated freight corridor railway track near the Shambhu area in Patiala, Punjab, was an attempted detonation meant to blow up the track, news agency PTI reported, quoting the police on Tuesday.
Noting that the incident is the second blast at a freight corridor in the past three months, a senior police officer indicated that a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the matter is likely.
The person who was trying to carry out the detonation on Monday night died in the attempt, Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma said.
Police have identified the deceased suspect as Jagrup Singh, a resident of Panjwar village in Tarn Taran district.
The suspect could be seen parking his motorcycle in Amritsar in the CCTV footage, Special Director General of Police (Railway) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, who visited the explosion site, said.
The blast took place at a stretch of the Shambhu-Ambala rail track. Police earlier said that an unidentified body, which was blown into pieces, was recovered from the spot, with parts of the body found strewn along the rail track.
Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation, police said.
The explosion occurred near Bothonia village on Monday night on the rail track dedicated for freight trains. It also caused some damage to the track, leaving a small crater underneath the railway line.
Interacting with reporters at the incident site, Dwivedi said the blast took place when a goods train was passing on the track.
"The loco pilot felt that something mischievous had occurred and then he raised an alarm, alerting the authorities," she said.
Referring to some "anti-social elements who are against the progress of the country", the officer said this was the second such attempt at a freight corridor.
To a question on the NIA probe into the incident, the special DGP said as it is the second incident, the NIA will most probably be involved in the investigation.
While noting that there were no CCTV arrangements, she emphasised the need to install cameras at short distances along the corridor.
Meanwhile, the SSP said, "Late night, we had received information about a low-intensity explosion at a railway track near Shambhu-Haryana border. Immediately, I, along with the deputy inspector general of police and other senior officials, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation."
"We found that it was not a low-intensity explosion but an attempted detonation," the SSP said.
Police said they have recovered a SIM card from the spot.
"After getting whatever scientific evidence including a SIM card from the spot, police have launched a technical investigation," Sharma said.
"We expect that we will soon unravel the whole conspiracy," he said.
He further said the Government Railway Police, the Railway Protection Force and other agencies are involved in the investigation.
Following the blast, a forensic team, a bomb disposal squad and other agencies had reached the spot.
Meanwhile, a Government Railway Police official said repair work on the railway track was undertaken and rail traffic has been restored.
Earlier in January, a blast on a dedicated freight corridor railway track in Fatehgarh Sahib district's Sirhind had damaged the engine of a train and left a loco pilot injured.
(With PTI inputs)
