Blast in Bangalore Outside BJP Office, 16 Injured

Bangalore Blast Outside BJP Office

More than 16 people have been injured in a bomb blast near BJP office here in Malleshwaram on Wednesday morning. The injured include 8 cops. It was apparently targetting Karnataka BJP Office ahead of the May 5 election polls. Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, is known as India's information-technology hub as many top software companies have their headquarters or offices in the city.

Bangalore Blast - Bomb Fitted in a Motorcycle

Investigators who are examining the blast say that a bomb was fitted on a motorcycle parked between a van and a car near the BJP office at around 10:30 am. Police sources said the blast occurred in a black Ind Suzuki motorcycle parked next to a Maruti Omni on the pavement diagonally opposite to the BJP office. As the bomb blasted off the motocycle, the Omni and adjacent Santro car caught fire and went up in flames. Following them, a Honda Dio and Bajaj Chetak scooters parked to the left of Santro car too caught fire. Two KSRP vans, with policemen, parked near the two scooters also took the brunt of the attack. The front window panes of one of the vehicles was shattered.

Relating exactly three years ago on April 17, 2010, a similar blast took place outside the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in the city centre before an IPL (Indian Premier League) T-20 match.

Banglore Blast Suspected Due to Blast of LPG Cylinder but later on doubt cleared

In starting, the police doubted that the explosion was due to the blast of a LPG cylinder placed in the boot of a car. However, the city police chief ruled this out after initial inspection. "It's not a LPG cylinder blast as suspected," Bangalore police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told reporters after visiting the site. Raghavendra Aurandkar said that police suspect that it was caused by explosives strapped to a bike, parked near BJP office. However, this can be confirmed and revealed only after investigations, according to him. The motorcycle was destroyed completely on which explosives were put on.

After Bangalore Blast Actions Taken

A manhunt has been launched by the police to trace its owner. On seeing the extent of damage, it suggests that the bomb was strapped to the bike, sources added. Cops are questioning mechanics to find if they fitted anything suspicious on to any bike in the recent past. The police are also focusing on around half-a-dozen phone numbers on which calls were made to and from in the area between 10 and 11 am during which the blast took place. Meanwhile, the Centre has ordered an inquiry into the blast. "I have ordered an inquiry. The secretary home department will look into it," Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in Kolkata. Police personnel were injured as they rushed out of their vehicle parked nearby the party office on seeing the vehicles going up in flames. Two of the injured were college students who were returning home after tuition, Shivamurthy, an eye witness, said, adding BJP workers shifted some injured to hospital. The last major terror attack reported in Bangalore was in 2008, when nine bomb explosions rocked the city, killing two and injuring more than 20. see live updates at http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/blast-outside-bangalore-bjp-office-4-injured_842728.html
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