Two days after the explosion at Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said that police is investigating the case and accused the BJP of politicising the case.
“Police are investigating, the government has given free hand to them. The government has taken the issue seriously…It is a shame that BJP has forgotten what happened during their time, I don’t like to do politics on such an issue. Let them do whatever politics they are doing. They are spoiling the honour of the state. In such a context, we should be aware of the unity and peace of the people of this country,” he said, as quoted by ANI.
At least 10 people were injured following the blast that took place at the popular city eatery in Brookefield in East Bengaluru on Friday, which police said was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). A man wearing a cap, mask and glasses is the prime suspect in the case, who is still untraceable.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said the investigation in the incident has been handed over to Central Crime Branch and that no arrest has been made yet.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said police are exploring various angles, including business rivalry, the upcoming elections, and the intimidation of investors in Bengaluru due to the stability of the state government, to solve the case.
He said that eight teams are working to crack the case and they are accompanied by the National Investigation Agency, National Security Group (NSG) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) are assisting the teams.
Parameshwara mentioned that one of the angles being investigated is whether the blast aimed to terrorize Bengaluru ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Elections are approaching. If any organisation is behind it, or if there are some other motives behind it to terrorise people to make Bengaluru look unsafe…,” the Minister added.
“As many investors are coming here in view of a stable government, this might have been done either to stop investors from coming to Bengaluru or due to some other unknown reasons,” Parameshwara said.
The Minister suggested that business rivals might have orchestrated the blast out of jealousy, which is one of the angles under discussion. He elaborated that The Rameshwaram Cafe has 11 units and the owners were in the process of establishing their 12th unit, for which an advance deposit had been made.
Regarding a question about a pressure cooker blast in Mangaluru on November 19, 2022, Parameshwara noted similarities in the assembly of explosives and other equipment between the incidents in Mangaluru and at Rameshwaram Cafe. However, he clarified that this comparison doesn’t conclusively imply the involvement of the same gang in both incidents.
“The usage of battery and timer appears similar. We need to proceed with the investigation. It’s uncertain whether the same organization or individuals were responsible,” the Minister stated. He further characterized the blast as low intensity, attributing it to the use of low-intensity explosives and potentially lesser quantities. Parameshwara also said that had the quantity been higher, the intensity would have correspondingly increased.
The Minister appealed to the public to trust only the statements issued by himself, the police, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging them not to rely on speculative information.