M A I N   N E W S

Serial blasts rattle Bangalore
One killed; SIMI hand suspected
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Bangalore, July 25
At least one person was killed and seven others were injured as a series of bomb blasts rocked the country’s IT capital of Bangalore this afternoon. According to deputy commissioner of police E. Rammaiya, while one person was killed, seven others were injured, including two seriously, in the blasts that hit the city, he said.

A forty-year-old woman, who was waiting at the bus stop near St Johns Hospital in the Koramongola area of the city, died when a bomb planted at the bus stop exploded. The blast caused heavy damage to the metal structure of the bus stop shed and turned one portion of it into a mangled heap.

At Adugodi, which is less than 3 km away from the place of the fatal incident, another bomb exploded around the same time. This bomb, kept close to a telephone maintenance box of BSNL, failed to make much impact except for making a small crater at the place where it exploded. It, however, made enough noise to hurt the eardrums of a passerby, who was having a conversation on his mobile phone.

Another blast took place at Shanthi Nagar, which also is not too far from Adugodi and the St Johns bust stop. This blast was of greater intensity than the one at Adugodi. A large crater was created as a result of the blast exposing electric cables laid underneath the ground.

Dalapathy and Mohammad Afroz, who were present at Adugodi where the blast took place, said two persons were injured in the explosion. The victims were having tea under a tree when the explosion occurred. Both the injured were taken to St John Hospital. Dalapathy said small batteries, copper wire and pieces of red plastic sheets were recovered by the police from the spot.

Bombs also exploded in Nayandahalli, Vittal Mallya Road, Shivaji Nagar, Iskon Temple and at Ashok Nagar. Staff at Mallya Hospital said two boys, who were injured in the explosion on the Vittal Mallya Road, had been admitted to the hospital.

Though the police is not specifying who are behind the blasts, finger of suspicion is being pointed at the banned Student Islamic Movement of India, which is active in some pockets of Karnataka. The blasts follow the incident of desecration of a mosque in the city on July 11, that had led to tension in the city.

Condemning the blasts, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said, “It’s a planned conspiracy to vitiate the atmosphere and to try to create confusion among people”. He also announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the family of the dead. “The situation is under control and I appeal to the people not to panic,” he said.

PM, Sonia condemn blasts
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25
Condemning the serial blasts in Bangalore, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked people to remain calm and maintain communal harmony. The Prime Minister also sanctioned an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of those dead and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the blasts.

He expressed grief over the loss of lives and sent his condolences to the families of the bereaved.

President Pratibha Patil and the Vice-President also condemned the blasts and expressed deep shock at the loss of lives at the IT capital saying it was aimed at distributing peace in the country.

Home minister Shivraj Patil condemned the blasts in eastern parts of Bangalore and offered all assistance to the Karnataka government to deal with the situation.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi condemned the blasts saying “its a cowardly act.”

BJP president Rajnath Singh also condemned the terrorist act and reminded the Central government that this was the outcome of weak anti-terrorist policies of the Centre. Incidentally, the BJP has recently formed a government in Karnataka, the first such venture for the party in a southern state.

Other parties too have issued statements condemning the cowardly act.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, whose party JD-S was till recently ruling Karnataka, expressed his shock and outrage “At the loss of precious lives and injuries caused by the dastardly serial bomb blasts in the Garden city of Bengaluru.”

The Politburo of the CPM also condemned the explosions.

Meanwhile, the union ministry of home affairs has separately initiated action to provide assistance to the state governments to strengthen their intelligence machinery. The states have been consistently asking for modern equipment and training for their personnel.

The demand of the states have been taken into account. Today, Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to the chief secretary and the DGP of Karnataka. The investigators say it seems the terrorists did not want to cause mass casualties.

Meanwhile, sources in the home ministry said the Centre had forewarned Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments that terrorists could target Bangalore and Hyderabad. The Intelligence Bureau had received inputs that terrorists could target the cyber cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore.