India news: Twin explosions put Punjab on edge

What you need to know

• Twin explosions in Punjab put state on alert
• Tamil Nadu victor TVK seeks alliance to form government
• West Bengal awaits BJP's name for Chief Minister
• Indian cabinet expands Supreme Court seats to tackle backlog

Here's a roundup of the major headlines from India on Wednesday, May 6: 

Twin explosions rock Punjab, authorities investigate

Two explosions occurred outside military complexes in two cities in the northern state of Punjab on Monday night, within hours of each other. 

The incidents, still under investigation, did not lead to any deaths but have put authorities in the border state on high alert. 

The Jalandhar explosion

The first explosion took place outside the Border Security Force's complex in Jalandhar at about 8 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Monday, news agency PTI reported.

A security camera captured the incident and the resultant cloud of smoke, while a man ran for cover. The blast ripped a scooter apart, damaged nearby shops, and a traffic signal. 

Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that a scooter parked near the gate suddenly caught fire. 

The man who was seen running for cover is said to have seen his scooter catch fire, after which he informed his father of the incident. Authorities said he was fully cooperating with the investigation. 

The Times of India, citing a senior Punjab Police officer, said the Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) had taken responsibility for the Jalandhar blast. The KLA is an armed seperatist outfit active in Punjab, with alleged supporters abroad including Canada and Pakistan. India's Home Ministry designates it as a terrorist organization.

Authorities, however, said it was too early to confirm if the explosion was due to an accidental fire or a planned explosion, and were investigating all possible leads.

The Amritsar explosion

Just hours after the Jalandhar incident, authorities in the city of Amritsar reported a loud noise outside an army camp. 

Indian media reported that Amritsar's Rural Senior Superintendent of Police said that fragments resembling a sheet of metal were found embedded in the boundary wall at the site of the explosion. 

This indicates that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the wall, which caused the blast, Suhail Qasim Mir said.

Authorities are yet to comment on whether the two incidents were related. 

Why is Punjab on edge?

The twin explosions come just days after an attempted blast in another city in the state. On April 27, a suspected extremist died during an attempted detonation on a freight corridor rail track in the City of Patiala.

Police had arrested four members allegedly part of a Pakistan-linked separatist group for the blast.

State opposition leader Sukhbir Singh Badal criticized the sitting chief minister for lack of security in the state. 

“Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day,” Badal wrote on X. “Continued intelligence failures and collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern.”

The movement to create an independent Sikh nation, known as Khalistan, led to the killing of tens of thousands of people in the 1980s and 1990s. The recent blasts and mentions of Khalistan serve as a dark reminder to the people of Punjab when insurgency, violence, and extrajudicial killings were rampant in the state.

Welcome to our coverage

Good morning! And welcome to DW's India news blog. 

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi bureau, your daily news navigator, cutting through India’s noise to bring you the stories that actually matter.

Indians woke up to concerning news from the northern state of Punjab where two explosions took place near military complexes. While authorities are still investigating and it's not clear if the explosions were related, the border state is on high alert. 

Outside of Punjab, most eyes remain ont he states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu which are fresh out of elections. Tamil Nadu's election victor, which fell short of a majority, is now seeking an alliance to form a government. In West Bengal, people are waiting for Narendra Modi's victorious Bharatiya Janata Party to announce a name for the position of chief minister. 

Moving away from politics, India has decided to add four more seats to its top court. The decision is meant to help the backlog of cases which haunts not just the Supreme Court of India, but the nation's whole legal system. 

Stick with me as I walk you through India’s news cycle — minus the clutter, plus the context.