An hour after blast, traffic police termed it terror attack

SI filed plaint in Vyalikaval station as DG&IGP exercised caution 

The Malleswaram bomb blast, on April 17, was initially considered to be a cylinder explosion. It took almost half-an-hour for the police to rule out that angle. Later, even after it became apparent that the explosion was indeed a bomb blast with the explosive possibly planted on the bike, the police top brass refused to term it a terror attack.

As late as Wednesday evening, police continued to refute charges that the explosion was a terrorist attack. L R Pachuau, DG&IGP, refused to call it a terror attack when asked explicitly whether it was a deliberate attack. It was only on the following  afternoon that he cautiously admitted that, “It could have been a terror attack,” but warned that it was too early to come to a conclusion.

His junior officers, however exhibited no such caution. Within an hour of the blast, a traffic sub-inspector termed it a terror attack and based on his complaint, an FIR was registered at Vyalikaval police station at 11:30 am — just an hour after the blast. Pachau was yet to reach the spot. Deccan Herald has obtained a copy of the FIR.

C R Nanjappa, 59, sub-inspector of the Sadashivanagar traffic police station who was present near the location of the blast, said in his one-page complaint that: “Seeing the act, it is observed that some members of anti-national terror organisations who, with an intention to wage war against the state, disturb peace and tranquility, kill innocents and destroy public property, have planted some explosive device and absconded from the scene.”

The FIR registers the case under Section 120(B) for conspiracy, Sections 121, 121(A), 123 for waging war against the State and aiding it, 307 for attempt to murder, 332 for obstructing public official from discharging his duty, Sections 435 and 201 of IPC. The FIR also mentions Sections 3, 4, 5, 6 of Indian Explosive Substances Act, 1984.

The FIR also registers a case under Sections 3, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Within an hour, the City police had come to a conclusion that it was indeed a terror attack and ‘members of anti-national terror organisations’ were behind the attack, while the top brass parroted the line of diligence. More surprisingly, the FIR copy, with a copy of the complaint attached, was submitted to the jurisdictional court, the 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court at 12:30 pm, just an hour after the FIR was registered. 

In his complaint, Nanjappa has described the explosion and the immediate situation after that thus: “I went to BJP office, Temple street at 9 am. By then Muniraju, ASI and Krishnamurthy, head constable, were already there. At 10.20 am, 100 metres north from the spot where I was standing, I heard a huge sound in front of the house of Guruvareddy of Sai Traders.

“By the time we could react, many small iron pellets had even fallen near us. The cars and motorbikes parked there caught fire. Many were screaming for help at the spot. I, along with other officers of Malleswaram police station present there, rushed to the spot and saw that many KSRP men and public had sustained  injuries. We rushed seven to eight KSRP men and four to five civilians in private vehicles to K C General Hospital.

“I immediately called up the traffic control room over wireless and asked them to arrange for a fire engine. I also asked them to inform all senior officers over wireless.”