Home Minister Parameshwar said similarities were in a technical sense. “IED assembly is technically similar to Mangaluru case,” he noted.
Police sealed the area after the blast. (Supplied)
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday, 2 March, said there seems to be similarities between the blast at Bengaluru’s popular eatery Rameshwaram Cafe, and the cooker explosion in the coastal city of Mangaluru in 2022, and all angles are being looked into by the police.
The claim was reiterated by Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday but he clarified that the similarity was in a technical sense. “When we say similarity, we mean that technically the IED has been built in a similar fashion. Similarity doesn’t mean the same people are involved. The battery, timer, connections are similar to the IED used in Mangaluru but we have to investigate it.,” he said speaking to reporters.
On Saturday, DK Shivakumar said the government is committed to a fair probe, and police have been given a free hand to investigate the incident at the quick-service eatery in the Brookfield area in the information technology corridor in east Bengaluru that left 10 people injured
“There seems to be a link between the Mangaluru incident and this incident, according to police officers… materials used (for explosions), we can see a similarity, we can see a link, timer, and other things,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said police officers from Mangaluru and Shivamogga too have come here, and all angles are being looked into.
“There is no reason for Bengalurians to worry, it was a low-intensity blast, it was prepared locally… but the sound was big. The culprit’s face is visible from all angles despite his wearing a cap or specs. He is seen from three to four angles. Cameras have captured him walking too,” added Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru City Development Minister.
In Mangaluru, an improvised explosive device (IED) kept inside a pressure cooker accidentally went off when it was being taken in an auto rickshaw in November 2022. A probe into the blast had revealed that the IED was meant to be planted at the Kadri Manjunatha temple.
Investigators had found that the Mangaluru cooker blast was “Islamic State-sponsored” and had the involvement of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative.
Instructions have been given to police to look into all angles in the cafe blast, Shivakumar, also State Congress chief, said. “We will not meddle in it. Central Crime Branch (CCB) is investigating, they have formed 7-8 teams, and they are looking at all angles. There are cameras everywhere in Bengaluru city.”
“He (suspect) has come by bus, how did he go back is being traced. You (media) too have clippings that are being telecast. Investigation is being done. The police have been given a free hand.”
Noting that the government is very serious about probing the blast incident and there is no question of sparing anyone, the Deputy CM said it is a matter of state’s pride. Let the BJP say whatever they want and do anything “We are least bothered about it.”
“If they (BJP) offer constructive cooperation, okay, if they want to do politics, let them,” he said.
With regards to the treatment of the injured, Shivakumar said already instructions have been given to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Joint Commissioner, “we will take care of their bills.”
Meanwhile, the Rameshwaram Cafe is slated to reopen on 8 March.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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