An explosion outside the Border Security Force headquarters in Jalandhar triggered panic on Tuesday evening after a parked delivery scooter suddenly caught fire and went up in flames.

The incident occurred near the busy BSF Chowk area, leading to chaos as people fled for safety. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

Eyewitnesses described hearing a loud blast-like sound moments before the scooter was engulfed in flames. The fire spread quickly, causing alarm in the crowded locality. Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the scene and managed to bring the blaze under control. Exclusive CCTV footage accessed by India Today showed a man running to take cover as the blast occurred, underscoring the suddenness of the incident.

Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur, who arrived at the site with senior officials, said it was too early to draw conclusions. She explained that prima facie, the scooter appeared to have caught fire, but all possibilities were being examined.

The scooter rider, identified as 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh, a delivery agent, is cooperating with the investigation. His relative told reporters that Gurpreet visits the area daily to drop off parcels and had just approached his scooter when it caught fire. He immediately informed his father about the incident.

A forensic team, along with dog and bomb squads, was deployed to the site to collect evidence. CCTV footage is being scrutinised to determine the sequence of events, while Gurpreet and another individual are being questioned. Commissioner Kaur stressed that investigators were probing all angles, including the possibility of foul play, but cautioned against premature conclusions.

The incident has sparked political reactions, with Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring calling the explosion deeply alarming. In a post on X, he criticised both the AAP-led Punjab government and the BJP-led Centre, accusing them of failing in their responsibility to ensure security in a sensitive border state. He argued that such incidents expose a collapse of law and order and raise grave national security concerns.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the nature of the explosion, and the exact cause remains under investigation. While officials maintain that the scooter may have simply caught fire, the deployment of specialised teams and the heightened alert in the area reflect the seriousness with which the matter is being treated.

The incident comes amid a broader backdrop of heightened security concerns in Punjab, where recent years have seen multiple grenade attacks and targeted strikes against police and political institutions. Investigators are expected to explore whether this explosion fits into that wider pattern or was an isolated mechanical fault. For now, the state remains on alert as forensic analysis and intelligence inputs are awaited.

Agencies