An unexpected blast damaged a freight train engine near Sirhind in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district late Friday night, raising serious security concerns ahead of Republic Day. The incident occurred around 9.50 pm as a goods train was passing through Khanpur village near a level crossing below Sirhind railway station on the Amritsar–Delhi route, part of the Dedicated Freight Corridor.

Eyewitnesses said the sound of the explosion was heard several kilometres away. The impact of the blast caused significant damage to the locomotive, leaving the engine severely affected. The train driver sustained minor injuries, while no other casualties were reported. Officials believe the incident was an attempt to disrupt freight train operations along the critical corridor.

Police and railway authorities rushed to the spot immediately after the explosion. Punjab DIG Nanak Singh said multiple teams have been deployed and inter-agency coordination is underway. He added that the investigation is being conducted using scientific methods to identify and apprehend those responsible.

Reacting to the incident, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed deep concern, calling the reported blast near the railway line alarming and a threat to the hard-earned peace in Punjab.

A Government Railway Police official confirmed that a case has been registered under Section 150 of the Railways Act, which pertains to maliciously wrecking or attempting to wreck a train.

As a precautionary measure, Punjab has been placed on red alert ahead of Republic Day. Security agencies have stepped up surveillance following recent seizures of arms and explosives and the disruption of multiple suspected terror modules in the past week.