Chandigarh: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has handed over the investigation into the grenade attack on the Punjab BJP state office in Chandigarh to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The NIA approached the Chandigarh Sessions Court seeking all case records from Chandigarh Police and transfer of the case to the special NIA court.
The case relates to an explosion outside the Punjab BJP office in Sector 37-A on April 1, 2026. A case was initially registered at Sector 39 police station under Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. The blast damaged the boundary wall of the office and vehicles parked nearby.
Chandigarh Police arrested 11 accused during the investigation. All are currently in jail.
After completing its investigation, Chandigarh Police filed a final chargesheet against the 11 accused on July 13 under Section 193 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act and Sections 16, 18 and 18-B of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Further investigation against the accused and other possible suspects continued under Section 193(9) of the BNSS.
The Ministry of Home Affairs transferred the investigation to the NIA through an order dated September 7, 2026. The NIA subsequently re-registered the case on September 8.
After hearing the NIA special public prosecutor, the Sessions Court held that under Section 13 of the National Investigation Agency Act, the case falls within the jurisdiction of the special NIA court. The court therefore ordered that the complete case record be transferred to the court of the Special Judge, NIA.
According to the police investigation, the conspiracy was allegedly planned by foreign handlers based in Portugal and Germany with the assistance of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. The investigation also stated that the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
