Sixteen people were injured on Wednesday in a bomb blast, near the ruling BJP’s office in this tech hub, which Karnataka deputy chief minister R Ashok said was an act of terror.
“A bomb-like material on a motorbike exploded around 10.30am injuring 16 people, including 11 policemen, near the BJP office at Malleswaram in north-west Bangalore,” state director general of police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachau told reporters here.
Rushing to the blast spot, Ashok said the fact that it (explosion) occurred so near to the BJP office clearly indicated that the terrorists wanted to cause maximum damage to its leaders and cadres, besides spreading panic ahead of the state legislative assembly elections May 5.
“As a lot of political activity has been going on since the poll schedule was announced last month, hundreds of our cadres and leaders have been visiting the party office daily and hence they were the target of this terror attack,” Ashok told reporters.
Among the five civilians injured, three were women and two teenagers.
“The injuries are not so serious and no one is in critical condition. They are being treated in a nearby (state-run) hospital,” Pachau asserted.
The motorcycle was parked between two cars. The blast ripped through the motorcycle and gutted both the vehicles parked near it. There was a loud explosion that rattled doors and windows of surrounding houses.
Police cordoned off the entire blast area for study and tests by the state bomb squad, forensic experts and the state-run National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The injured policemen were seated in a mini bus parked nearby as they were on security duty for the upcoming election.
“We do not know the type of bomb that was used. The matter is under investigation. NIA and forensic experts are studying the three charred vehicles and other burnt-out material to find what sort of bomb or materials were used to trigger the blast,” Pachau said.
Appealing to people across the state to remain calm and maintain peace, Ashok said there was no cause for panic and no rumours should be allowed to spread.
“The culprits will be punished. Special teams are being set up to find out who was behind this cowardly act and why the attacks were planned when elections are due,” Ashok observed.
Coincidentally, a similar blast took place exactly three years ago, on April 17, 2010, outside the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in the city centre before an IPL (Indian Premier League) T-20 match.
“The pattern appears to be same. Cause panic and maximum damage to innocent people and their property,” Ashok said.
Bangalore police commissioner R Auradkar had earlier told reporters that the explosion appeared to have been caused by the bursting of a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder in one of the parked vehicles.
Shakeel Ahmad’s tweet kicks row
Union minister of state for home RPN Singh appealed to the people not to politicise the Bangalore blasts, even as Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed kicked up a storm on Twitter, claiming that the blasts would aid the BJP in the May 5 assembly polls.
BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said Shakeel’s remarks were unbecoming of a senior leader, and asserted that politics should be kept out of terror strikes.
Home minister Shushilkumar Shinde, who was in Kolkata, said a probe had been ordered into the blast.
Any terror incident is a matter of concern and should not be seen as political gain, Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said Wednesday shortly after his colleague Shakeel Ahmad kicked up a storm with his remark that the blast near the BJP’s office in Bangalore would help the party in the Karnataka polls.
“Any terror incident is a matter of concern … it is a national and international problem … it is a challenge for the country … it should not be seen as political gain,” Dwivedi told reporters after the blast in Bangalore, in which 16 people were injured.
Earlier in the day, Ahmad said on Twitter: “If the blast near BJP’s office in Bangalore is a terror attack, it will certainly help the BJP politically on the eve of election.” The state assembly elections are to be held May 5.
The Congress distanced itself from Shakeel Ahmad’s tweet, saying the party had nothing to do with it and it was his personal view.
“I have not seen his tweet. What he said is his personal view and the party has nothing to do with it,” added RPN Singh.
Ahmad’s remarks were criticized by the BJP as unwarranted and uncalled for.
“Such remarks are uncalled for and should not have come from a senior Congress leader. The party (Congress) has already accepted defeat in Karnataka,” added BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi.
“There should be no politics on such incidents,” BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain added.
Condemning Ahmad’s remarks, BJP president Rajnath Singh said: “Terrorism should not be seen as a political loss or gain.”
Stating that the incident was “unfortunate and condemnable”, he said party leaders were taking stock of the situation.
“I talked to Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar. We are taking stock of the situation,” Rajnath Singh said.
Sixteen people were injured, two of them seriously, in the explosion in crowded residential locality of Malleshwaram in north Bangalore. Many vehicles were gutted but there was no damage to the BJP office in the explosion that was initially believed to be a cylinder blast.
–IAns