Rajpura-Shambhu Blast a Damning Indictment of Punjab's Security Failures; Yet Another Attempt to Drag Punjab Back into the Abyss of Terrorism: Randhawa

Chandigarh, April 28, 2026: Former Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today issued a scathing indictment of both the Punjab government and the Central government over the attempted blast on the Rajpura-Shambhu railway track — the second major explosion attempt in the state within a span of just three months. Describing the incident as deeply alarming and utterly shameful, Randhawa warned that Punjab stands at a dangerous crossroads, and that anti-national forces are making calculated, deliberate attempts to push the state back into the dark, bloodsoaked chapter of terrorism it once endured at enormous cost.
"The Rajpura-Shambhu railway track is one of the busiest and most strategically critical rail corridors in the country. Had the blast succeeded, we would have been mourning hundreds of innocent deaths today. This was not a random act of mischief — this was a sophisticated, planned strike at the heart of Punjab's stability," Randhawa said, his words carrying the weight of both outrage and grave concern.
Randhawa tore into the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government for its conspicuous failure to provide any credible accountability in the wake of the first blast, let alone institute meaningful preventive measures that could have pre-empted this second attempt. "What action did the government take after the first blast? What information was shared with the public? What structural reforms were made to prevent a recurrence? The answer is nothing — absolutely nothing. And today we are paying the price for that criminal negligence," he thundered.
He demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) immediately launch a comprehensive, coordinated inquiry encompassing the Rajpura-Shambhu blast alongside the Gurdaspur incident, the Moad blast, and the serial bomb attacks on police stations across Punjab. "These incidents cannot be treated as isolated events. There is a thread connecting them, a network sustaining them, and a hand directing them. The NIA must connect these dots without delay, expose the masterminds, and ensure that those responsible face the full, unsparing force of the law," Randhawa asserted.
Randhawa raised pointed questions over the reported links between the deceased accused in the Rajpura-Shambhu blast and the party of jailed MP Amritpal Singh. "This connection is not incidental — it demands thorough, unflinching scrutiny. If there is political patronage behind terrorism, if there is ideological cover being provided to those who plant bombs on railway tracks used by lakhs of ordinary citizens, then this nation deserves to know. Every individual implicated, regardless of political affiliation or protection, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he stated emphatically.
He underscored that the brazen resurgence of gangsterism in Punjab is no longer merely a law and order issue — it has decisively crossed into the territory of national security. "When gangsters operate with impunity, when they direct criminal enterprises from behind prison walls, when explosives cross international borders through the skies — we are no longer talking about Punjab's problem alone. This is India's problem."
"Punjab has bled before. Punjab has buried its sons before. Punjab has rebuilt itself from the ruins of terrorism before. But that resilience is not a license for governments to be negligent, indifferent, or complicit. The people of Punjab are watching — and they will hold every single person responsible to account," he warned.