NEW DELHI: A scooter parked near the BSF Chowk in Punjab’s Jalandhar district caught fire on Tuesday evening, triggering panic in the area, though no one was injured, police said.The incident occurred around 8 pm on the busy road outside the Punjab Frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF), which connects the main city with the Amritsar-New Delhi national highway. The scooter was completely gutted, officials said.A police patrol team was nearby when the incident happened. Senior police officials, along with forensic experts, a dog squad and a bomb disposal team, have reached the spot to take stock of the situation. The area has been cordoned off.
Investigation under way
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur told PTI that it is too early to say whether a blast had taken place.“Prima facie, the facts are that an Activa (scooter) parked here caught fire. We are still verifying the facts on the ground,” she said.The impact of the explosion scattered debris several metres around and damaged a traffic light pole. Forensic teams have been collecting vital evidence and samples from the spot.Police have been questioning Gurpreet Singh, the owner of the scooter. He told police that the mechanical service of his vehicle was due and that he worked for a delivery company. He had parked the vehicle outside the BSF headquarters after delivering an order, officials said.Security concernsThe incident comes a day before Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled to visit Jalandhar during his ‘Shukrana Yatra’ on Wednesday and stay at his official residence in Old Baradari.
