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ShareBANGALORE: Terror found a new target on Friday as eight low-intensity bomb blasts rocked the country's IT hub during the busy lunch hour, leaving one dead and injuring seven others.
In a grim reminder of the terror attack at the Indian Institute of Sciences here in December 2005, crude bombs stuffed with nuts and bolts, concealed near refugee camps, a drain and a bus shelter, exploded between 1.15 pm and 2.15 pm at Adugodi, Madiwala, Nayandahalli, Mysore Road, Richmond Circle, Pantharapalya and Vittal Mallya Road. One explosion occurred later in the evening.
All the areas are in a radius of 10 to 15 km. Police have recovered gelatin sticks, mainly used in quarryoperations, from one of the blast sites.
Four of the blasts took place on a 2-km stretch on Hosur Road leading to Electronics City, which is home to many technology companies.
A woman, identified only as Sudha, who was waiting at a bus stop in Madivala on the Bangalore-Hosur Road, was killed, while her husband and another person were seriously injured. Sudha had come from Mangalore for her husband's medical treatment. After going to a hospital, the couple visited a church nearby and were at the bus stop when tragedy struck.
Agencies claimed a second victim succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
There was fear and panic on the streets as people ran for safety.
Software engineer Ramesh was hit by flying shrapnel as he was riding his motorcycle. "We saw smoke and dust and then some object pierced my leg," he said.
Bangalore police commissioner Shankar Bidri said each of the small bombs contained explosives equal in quantity to "one or two grenades"."We suspect timer devices were used in two or three explosive devices, while the others could have been set off using mobile phones," Bidri said.
"The miscreants have actually laid low intensity underground bombs that can hardly kill people. Had there been more explosives, it could have created havoc," he said.
Bangalore has been put on high alert and security has been beefed up at malls, hospitals, schools, cinema halls and major crossings. "This is an attempt by anti-national elements to instil fear among the public," added Bidri.
As news of the strike broke, phone lines were jammed and traffic piled up on Bangalore's streets. Many schools, colleges, cinema halls, besides IT firms, downed their shutters and asked employees to head home. Infosys Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Ltd., India's second-and third-largest software companies, are based in Bangalore, which also hosts the Indian units of Intel Corp. and Yahoo Inc.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The government condemned the blasts and vowed to catch those behind them. "Such incidents will not deter the government from pursuing its policy of dealing with terrorists in a resolute manner," Union home minister Shivraj Patil said in Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked people to remain calm and maintain communal harmony. He announced Rs1 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of each of the deceased.
The United States too condemned the blasts. "We extend our condolences to the victims of these criminal acts and their families. There can be no possible justification for attacks on innocent people," a statement from the US embassy here said.
In May, eight bombs, many strapped to bicycles, ripped through a crowded shopping area in Jaipur, killing at least 63 people and injuring hundreds more.
