(Image source from: News9live.com)
The Rameshwaram cafe blast incident in Bengaluru, which caused a stir in the city's IT hub on Friday, will now be handled by the National Investigation Agency. The local police and Central Crime Branch were previously investigating the low intensity bomb blast at a popular eatery in Whitefield, but no arrests have been made thus far. The Ministry of Home Affairs has transferred the case to the NIA, who will take charge of the investigation starting from Monday. Multiple private hospitals are currently treating the 10 individuals injured in the incident, and the Karnataka government has assured that their medical expenses will be covered.
In addition to visiting the blast site and meeting with the injured at the hospital, CM Siddaramaiah convened a high-level meeting with senior officials. He emphasized the need for a thorough and impartial investigation into the case. Based on CCTV footage, the suspect is believed to be between 28 to 30 years old. He entered the cafe during lunchtime and purchased a coupon for Rava idli, but left without consuming the dish. Instead, he left behind a bag containing an improvised explosive device (IED).
Wearing a mask and cap, Raghavendra Rao, the co-founder and CEO of Rameshwaram Cafe, expressed his belief that both the Union government and the state government should take measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. He called for strict action to be taken. Rao also dismissed the idea of business rivalry playing a role in the incident, stating that it is highly unlikely for anyone within the business community to engage in such harmful activities.
In the meantime, the opposition criticized the Siddaramaiah-led government, accusing them of hiding information regarding the bomb blast. Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka, asserted on Sunday that the Congress government is intentionally concealing facts related to the Rameshwaram cafe incident. He claimed that not a single piece of information about the culprits has been disclosed and accused the government of tampering with the FSL report. Ashoka referenced a similar incident at Vidhana Soudha where slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' were raised to support his argument.
