Terror attacks in recent times point at a pattern that the terrorists follow in order to intensify the impact.
This year, police have unearthed sleeper cells in Karnataka and even an arms training camp in a forest. Local police said a little-known group called Karnataka Forum for Dignity could also be behind the blast.
On Friday, when the first bomb was triggered at 1.20pm in the crowded Raja Ram Mohan Roy junction, people mistook it for a transformer explosion.
But within minutes it dawned on them that it was a bomb. Soon followed other blasts — at four places on Hosur Road along the IT corridor – Koramangala-Sarjapur junction, Madivala check post, Adugodi traffic junction – and at Langford Road junction in the heart of the city, three places on Mysore Road – Nayandahalli, Kengeri RTO office and opposite Gopalan Mall.
At Nayandahalli and near Kengeri RTO, bombs were placed in a vacant plot and inside a shoulder drain. Incidentally, nobody noticed the blast opposite Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road as they thought it was a cracker.
Only after the serial blasts made headlines did locals realize it could be a bomb blast and alerted police. After a thorough check, police found pieces of a crude bomb.
Eight low-intensity blasts occurring in quick succession shook Bangalore, killing a woman and wounding seven persons in the first serial bombings in India’s IT capital.
Left near pavement edges, bus stops and roadside walls, seven small bombs went off between 1.30pm and 2.15pm and an eighth around 5.30.
The first of them killed Sudha Ravi at a bus stop and injured her husband and four others. Union home minister Shivraj Patil said in Delhi that a second person had died of his injuries but Bangalore police denied this.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, the police suspect the Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi), many of whose activists were arrested on terror charges in recent months.
Police commissioner Shankar Bidari said each bomb contained explosives equal to “one or two grenades”, was packed with nuts, bolts and nails, and appeared to have been set off by a timer.
Suspecting that the intention was to spawn fear in the City, the commissioner appealed to Bangaloreans not to panic and go about their business as usual.
He was sceptical about the hand of seasoned terrorists behind the explosions, although it was clear that anti-social elements were involved.
DGP Srikumar parried questions on whether any terrorist outfit was behind the blasts, saying no group could be blamed till investigations were completed. “I appeal to the people to share whatever information they have on the blasts. It will help the investigation,” he told reporters at the Chennai airport en route to Bangalore. Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu said paramilitary forces would be deployed in Bangalore.
After an emergency Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa declared a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the blasts. The Centre, meanwhile, claimed that it had forewarned the Karnataka government of impending terrorist attacks in Bangalore and ruled out any “intelligence failure.” The blasts sparked off a political blame-game with Union Minister for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal saying the IB had received inputs that Hyderabad and Bangalore could be on the hit list of terror outfits. He said advisories based on the IB inputs had been sent to the governments of Karnataka and AP.
The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh to the family of the woman who died in the blast. The injured will get a compensation of Rs 25,000 and more depending on the severity of their injuries.
