Punjab Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, arrested Rohan Masih, the main accused in the Chandigarh Sector 10 grenade blast case that occurred on September 11. Masih, hailing from Passia village in Amritsar, was found in possession of a 9mm Glock pistol and ammunition. The arrest was confirmed by Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav, who announced the breakthrough on social media platform X.
“Punjab Police has arrested the main perpetrator of the Chandigarh grenade blast case… The case is solved with the nabbing of Rohan Masih and the identification of the second accused,” DGP Yadav said.
Masih is suspected to be one of the two individuals who hurled a grenade at a house in Chandigarh’s upscale Sector 10, targeting retired Superintendent of Police (SP) Jaskirat Singh Chahal. The attack is believed to be linked to Chahal’s role in the 1986 Nakodar police firing incident, where four Sikh activists were killed during protests. The grenade blast occurred at the residence of KK Malhotra, a 100-year-old retired principal, and his wife, both of whom escaped unharmed.
The second accused in the case has also been identified, and police sources revealed that Masih worked as a carpenter in Jammu and Kashmir alongside the second suspect.
The arrest came a day after a social media post from US-based Khalistani gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, claimed responsibility for the explosion. The post alleged that the attack was in retaliation for encounters during Punjab’s militancy era, specifically the 1986 Nakodar incident.
Police sources have connected the attack to Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, who has long targeted Chahal. This isn’t the first time a plot has been orchestrated against the retired SP; in 2023, the same group had planned to assassinate Chahal but was foiled by Punjab Police.
The Punjab Police SSOC had earlier arrested four operatives from the terror module backed by Harpreet Singh and Rinda. This module had reportedly conducted a reconnaissance of Chahal’s Sector 10 house last year. Masih had allegedly struck a deal with another accused, Vikramjit Singh, offering ₹15 lakh for the targeted killing.
Chandigarh Police have confirmed that the recent grenade attack is linked to this prior plot. Further investigation into the conspiracy is ongoing, and authorities are working to apprehend all individuals involved in the case.
Sources By Agencies