JOIN USTerming the Bangalore blast as a "terror attack," the Centre today said the case could be handed over to the NIA and asked Karnatka government to beef up security by increasing CCTV surveillance in the IT city.
Emerging from a high-level security review meeting, a day after the low intensity blast in Bangalore left a woman dead, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said an idea about the nature of the blast and who could be behind it could be ascertained only after a proper probe.
One woman was killed and three persons were injured when a low-intensity bomb exploded outside a restaurant in Bangalore last night.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, "It was a terror attack."
He said investigators were trying to piece together the leads and efforts were on to find out the people behind the blast.
"It is too early to say anything on it. Investigation is on," he said when asked who could be behind the explosion.
The Home Minister said the Centre would provide all possible help to Karnataka in the Bangalore blast case and asked the state government to install adequate number of CCTVs in prime areas of the IT city.
"I appeal to the Karnataka government to install CCTV cameras as much as possible in as many places. It is too early to say who is behind this," he told reporters here.
Singh also appealed to all state governments, particularly those having major cities, to install maximum possible number of CCTV cameras in all prime locations.
"The central government is ready to provide all assistance to the state government in this endeavour," he said.
Asked about the possibility of handing over the blast probe to National Investigation Agency, Singh said a decision on it would be taken only after collecting the relevant information.
"If necessary, we will hand over the investigation to the NIA," he said.
Condemning the blast, the Home Minister said the central government would provide all necessary assistance to the state government in its probe.
Official sources said two Central teams comprising investigators and explosive experts are being dispatched to visit Bangalore from Delhi and Hyderabad and they would join the local police in the blast probe.
The Home Minister said he reviewed the security situation in Karnataka and Assam, where NDFB militants killed more than 70 people last week, with top officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Security Anil Goswami, Director of Intelligence Bureau Asif Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Sadananda Gowda and Chemical Minister Ananth Kumar met Rajnath and discussed with him the situation in the city in the aftermath of the blasts.