Three years to the day since the Chinnaswamy stadium blast shattered a cricket crazy city, a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded on Wednesday a mere 100 metres from the offices of the ruling BJP in the heart of the residential neighbourhood of Malleshwaram, injuring at least 17 people, most of them policemen.
The uncanny coincidence was reinforced by the fact that the bomb exploded at 10.20 am on the last day of filing nominations, when it would have been customary for Temple Street to be crawling with BJP leaders after they had filed their nominations and prayed in an area with a number of temples. Elections to the Karnataka Assembly are due May 5. Police investigators told this newspaper they were confident of homing in on the suspect after they claimed to have gained certain vital clues about the bomber who parked the two-wheeler at the blast site. Top police officials confirmed to this newspaper that a person who claimed to have seen the bomber has been picked up so that a sketch can be made. The investigating team is also talking to two police constables who saw the bike owners parking at the blast site.
“We have three people who claim to have seen the bomber and, depending on their descriptions, the sketch artists are put on
the job. A portrait will be prepared on Thursday and we shall circulate it to all the police stations and investigating agencies. We were able to interrogate the owner of a two-wheeler (Honda Activa) parked right next to the bike that had explosives,” said a police official.
The owner of the Activa, Mr Shrinivas, who is employed with a private firm in Malleswaram, reportedly told the police he saw the bomber parking his Suzuki bike just as he was parking. The investigators are also questioning two police constables who were on duty at the spot.
Eyewitnesses said the blast was so powerful that nearby residential and office buildings in a 2 km radius on Sampige Road shook as window panes shattered, raining glass on the streets below. Dazed policemen were pulled from their parked bus, which bore the brunt of the blast, while the city’s tree cover helped cushion the street from the impact of the bomb.
Police sources said an improvised explosive device had been used in the blast and about 2 kg of explosives had been packed into the blue Suzuki bike (Tamil Nadu registration TN 22R 3767) that was parked between a Karnataka State Reserve Police van and a Maruti car.
The injured were being treated at nearby hospitals. Two policeman and a 17-year-old girl are said to be grievously injured. Of the injured, 11 were policemen on election duty while five were civilians. “The injuries are not so serious and no one is in critical condition. They are being treated in a nearby hospital,” said Lalrokhuma Pachau. He added that NIA and forensic experts are studying the three charred vehicles and other burnt material to find what sort of bomb or materials were used to trigger the blast.
Deputy CM and home minister R. Ashok, who rushed to the spot, termed it an act of terror. “The fact that the explosion occurred so close to the BJP office clearly indicates that the terrorists wanted to cause maximum damage to its leaders and cadres, besides spreading panic ahead of the state Legislative Assembly elections on May 5,” he said.
In New Delhi, officials of the Union ministry of home affairs said the blast was a “terror strike” and pointed at the possibility of subversive elements trying to create a disturbance ahead of the festival of Ram Navami on Saturday.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday evening sent a preliminary report to the MHA saying there was a heavy deployment of security personnel in the area in view of the upcoming religious festival. The heavy police presence led to more injuries to policemen than civilians.
Sushilkumar Shinde is likely to travel to Bengaluru on Thursday to visit the blast site and meet the injured.
Hours after the blast, MoS for home R.P.N. Singh appealed to all political parties to join hands to fight the menace of terror and work for the interest and integrity of the country.
“The attempt appears to be to try to cause religious unrest,” an MHA official said.
Security agencies have been alerted to step up vigil at all religious and public places across states. Top intelligence officials said “Bengaluru has been on the hit list of the Lashkar-IM combine”, pointing towards the existence of LeT sleeper cells in Karnataka. “The LeT-IM network has been active in the state and Bengaluru has been the target on more than one occasion. All possibilities are being looked at,” a senior official said. The MHA, meanwhile, said it was too early to name the terror group responsible for the attack. The Centre dispatched an NIA team and an NSG bomb disposal squad to Bengaluru. The Karnataka government has so far not sought additional Central forces.
“We are in constant touch with the Karnataka government and ready to offer any help required,” Mr R.P.N. Singh said. He said there was no clarity yet on the nature of the blast and the materials used and that investigators were looking at “all possibilities”. The minister appealed to everyone to maintain peace and not indulge in rumour-mongering.