Swami Bengaluru - Serial Blast's Rock Bangalore

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Serial Blast's Rock Bangalore

Written by arvindyp
26 July 2008
Near-simultaneous blasts shattered the image of Bangalore being a city at peace with itself and exposed the Technology Town’s soft underbelly. The serial blasts occurred within 30 minutes at eight places during the busiest lunch hour. The bombs were of low intensity, aimed more at dislocating economic activity than killing hundreds of people. According to police, the bombs were cobbled together from ammonium nitrate, a commonly used compound in gelatin sticks, and used nuts and bolts as shrapnel. Timer devices were used to trigger the blasts between 1.15 pm and 1.45 pm in non-descript places — on a traffic island, inside a shoulder drain, a vacant plot next to a vehicle showroom. As word of the blasts spread, shopping malls, cinema halls and schools shut down for the day. The blasts occurred at Sarjapur Road near Ayyappa Temple bus stand, near Madiwala check post, Ashok Nagar near Langford Road, Adugodi, near traffic police station, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, Pantharapalya on Mysore Road, Kengeri near RTO Office, new Guddadahalli, Mysore Road. The first blast occurred at 1.15 pm near Mysore Road. Soon followed other blasts — at four places on Hosur Road in the IT corridor — Koramangala-Sarjapur junction, Madiwala checkpost, Adugodi traffic junction — and at Langford Road junction in the heart of the city, three places on Mysore Road — Nayandanahalli, Kengeri RTO office and opposite Gopalan Mall. When the blast took off at Madiwala bus stand, people mistook it for a transformer burst. But within minutes it dawned on them that it was a bomb blast, triggering panic. The lone victim was Sudha, who was waiting for a bus. Her body was ripped apart as the explosion occurred close to her. Her husband Ravi, who was with her, sustained injuries. Chetan, Gullamma, Ravindran, Ramesh, Anbu, Muniraju and Muniyappa were also injured. At Nayandanahalli and near Kengeri RTO, bombs were placed in a vacant plot and inside a shoulder drain. Nobody noticed the blast opposite Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road as they thought it was a cracker burst. Only after the serial blasts made headlines locals realised it could be a bomb blast and alerted police. The police found pieces of crude bomb at 6.30 pm. In Adugodi traffic junction, the bomb was placed just below a shoulder drain.In recent years, radicals have emerged in southern India, including Bangalore. ! User reviews There are no user reviews for this item. To write a review please register or login.
Last Updated ( 26 July 2008 )