Bangalore: Sixteen people were injured in a bomb blast, near the ruling BJP's office in this tech hub, which Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashok said was an act of terror.
"A bomb-like material on a motorbike exploded around 10.30 a.m. injuring 16 people, including 11 policemen, near the BJP office at Malleswaram in north-west Bangalore," state Director-General of Police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachau told reporters.
Rushing to the blast spot, Ashok said the fact that it (explosion) occurred so near to the BJP office clearly indicated that the terrorists wanted to cause maximum damage to its leaders and cadres, besides spreading panic ahead of the state legislative assembly elections May 5.
"As a lot of political activity has been going on since the poll schedule was announced last month, hundreds of our cadres and leaders have been visiting the party office daily and hence they were the target of this terror attack," Ashok told reporters.
Among the five civilians injured, three were women and two teenagers.
"The injuries are not so serious and no one is in critical condition. They are being treated in a nearby (state-run) hospital," Pachau asserted.
The motorcycle was parked between two cars. The blast ripped through the motorcycle and gutted both the vehicles parked near it. There was a loud explosion that rattled doors and windows of surrounding houses.
Police cordoned off the entire blast area for study and tests by the state bomb squad, forensic experts and the state-run National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The injured policemen were seated in a mini bus parked nearby as they were on security duty for the upcoming election.
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