Two people, allegedly involved in the crude bomb blast outside singer and rapper Badshah’s club in Chandigarh, were arrested on Friday evening following an encounter in Haryana’s Hisar district. The encounter took place during a joint operation by the Chandigarh police and the Haryana Special Task Force (STF).

During the encounter, both the accused were injured after being shot in the leg. Subsequently, they were arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said.

The accused have been identified as Vinay (20) and Ajit Sehrawat (21), both of whom are residents of Hisar.

Both the accused have been involved in one criminal case previously, the police said.

“On November 29, we received a specific input that both accused are in Hisar. A team of Chandigarh Police immediately rushed to the spot. On reaching the spot with Haryana STF Hisar, the accused were asked to surrender but they did not listen. They opened fire on the police and in self-defence, the Chandigarh police and STF also exchanged fire,” the Chandigarh police said in a statement.

According to the police, two officials – Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sandeep and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Anoop – were shot at but were saved due to bullet-proof jackets.

On November 26, two explosions occurred outside two clubs in Chandigarh – the Seville Bar and Lounge, owned by singer and rapper Badshah, and De Orra Club, owned by local businessmen. CCTV footage of the explosions showed a man throwing crude bombs at the clubs before running away. The explosions shattered the establishments’ glass windows.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Hours after the incident, Goldy Brar, a Canada-based terrorist linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the blast in a purported Facebook post.

The post, which could not be verified by NDTV, said that Brar and another member of the gang, Rohit Godara, were responsible for the two explosions. It added that the two club owners were contacted via phone for “protection money”, but they did not respond. Following this, the explosions were carried out to send a message that whoever ignores such calls may face consequences, it added.