Chandigarh: A loud blast was reported outside the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar, Punjab, around 1 am on Monday, sparking panic in the area.

According to the police, no one was injured in the incident. The blast occurred near Shastri Market, close to Kalia’s house. Forensic teams have arrived at the scene to collect evidence and determine the nature of the explosion.

Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said the investigation is underway to ascertain whether it was a grenade attack or caused by another explosive device. CCTV footage from the vicinity is also being examined to trace the culprits.

Kalia, a former Cabinet minister and ex-president of the Punjab BJP, was reportedly at home at the time of the incident.

This incident comes amid a series of similar blasts reported across Punjab in recent months, including explosions targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur, and one outside a temple in Amritsar last month.

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Hyderabad (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will attend the GOAT India Tour event featuring football legend Lionel Messi at the RGI Cricket Stadium here on Saturday evening, Telangana Congress sources said.

A friendly match will be played between the two teams -- Singareni RR9 and Aparna-Messi All Stars. These two teams will be playing a 15-20 minute friendly match and five minutes before the game, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a football enthusiast and Messi will join and will dribble the ball together.

Rahul Gandhi will land here on a special flight at 4.30 PM and will proceed to Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel where Messi will be staying.

After watching the game, Gandhi will leave for the national capital by 10.30 PM.

Elaborate security arrangements are being made for the event at the RGI Cricket stadium.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu said security would be provided with 3,000 personnel.