Man Dies in Blast While Attempting to Plant Explosive Device on Punjab Freight Corridor Track

PATIALA: A man died, allegedly while attempting to plant an improvised explosive device, after a blast ripped through a section of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) railway track near Bathonia village, at Kilometre Marker 1174/1–6, between Rajpura and Shambhu in Patiala district, late Monday night.

The explosion, which occurred at approximately 9:00 PM, triggered a high-intensity security alert across Punjab and neighbouring Haryana. Police suspected the deceased may have been attempting to plant a bomb when the device detonated prematurely. The body was recovered in severly mutilated condition from the blast site, said GRP Officials while adding that some body parts were still being recovered.

Besides GRP officials, Patiala DIG Kuldeep Singh Chahal and SSP Varun Sharma reached the spot shortly after the incident. SSP Sharma confirmed the deceased was identified as a resident of the Tarn Taran area of Punjab, though his full identity was yet to be officially released pending family notification.

SSP Sharma said the explosion caused some damage to the track; however, the person died while attempting to detonate the device. Police teams recovered several items from the scene, including wires, suspected explosive materials, and a damaged mobile phone, all of which were being examined for forensic evidence, according to a police official. However, GRP officials avoided to shared details of items recovered from the spot.

Multiple agencies, including the CIA unit, forensic experts and the bomb disposal squad, launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion. GRP DSP Gurdeep Singh confirmed that Government Railway Police teams rushed to the site and worked swiftly to repair the damaged section, restoring rail traffic within a few hours. He stated full details of the type of explosive used could not be disclosed as the investigation remained active.

Freight movement on the specific corridor stretch was briefly suspended to facilitate evidence collection and track repairs. Monday's explosion was the second such attack on the Dedicated Freight Corridor in Punjab in the span of three months. In January this year, a blast near Khanpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib's Sirhind caused damage to the track, derailed a goods train engine and left the loco pilot injured. A case was registered against unidentified persons in that incident under Section 150 of the Railways Act, which deals with maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train.

SSP Varun Sharma said no group claimed responsibility for Monday's blast. Investigators were probing potential "terror module" links as well as the possibility of a coordinated sabotage campaign targeting the vital freight supply chain between Punjab and the rest of the country.

In the wake of the explosion, security was significantly heightened at major railway stations in the region, including Ambala Cantonment, Rajpura and Patiala. Intelligence agencies were placed on alert, and inter-agency coordination was underway. Forensic teams from state laboratories were deployed to collect soil samples and chemical residues to determine the precise composition of the explosive used.