Blast in Bangalore Injures At Least 13

BANGALOREâ€" A blast ripped through the calm in Malleshwaram, a quiet neighborhood in Bangalore, barely 50 meters away from the local office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). More than 13 people were injured, including 8 policemen.

Bangalore’s police commissioner, Raghavendra Auradkar, said in an interview that the blast emanated from a motorcycle. “The motorcycle was parked next to three cars on the main street, the intensity of the blast ripped it in two.”

Bangalore, India’s technology and startup hub, is the capital of the southern Karnataka state, which is due to elect a new local government in less than three weeks.

The blast has come at a sensitive time in the election process, with candidates’ nominations scheduled to close today. The state is currently ruled by the BJP but early indicators give the opposition Congress a fighting chance to unseat the party.

The blast spread panic in the vicinity of the explosion. Malleshwaram is considered ‘old’ Bangalore, as opposed to newer, swankier neighborhoods in the city. But recently large shopping malls and plush housing developments have come up on its crowded streets.

Expert forensic teams are searching for clues at the blast spot, hampered by milling crowds. “We are investigating, too early to share any other details,” Mr. Auradkar said.

For many years, security experts have warned that Bangalore has become increasingly vulnerable to terror attacks as it has become a haven for a variety of organizations that have terrorist links.