Cylinder blast near Mysuru Palace: Balloon vendor did not use helium; NIA team to visit explosion site

Mysuru: Mysuru city police have intensified their investigation related to the blast of a gas cylinder used to fill balloons by a balloon vendor on a footpath near Jayamarthanda gate of Mysuru Palace on Thursday night. Mysuru district in-charge minister H C Mahadevappa said that it was not helium gas in the cylinder but the balloon vendor Saleem (40) used sodium hydroxide to prepare the gas.

City police are checking the antecedents of balloon vendor Saleem who has died. Meanwhile, a team of NIA is reportedly visiting the crime spot and taking information of the incident from city Police.

Unconfirmed reports said that city police and NIA are reportedly enquiring two people who were with Saleem. Saleem reportedly hailed from Uttar Pradesh.

The condition of two persons among six injured continues to be critical. Four injured are being treated at K R Hospital and one person is being treated at a private hospital in Mysuru.

Mysuru district in-charge minister H C Mahadevappa visited the injured along with Mysuru DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy and Police Commissioner Seema Latkar at K R Hospital on Friday and said that the government will bear their treatment expenses.

He said, "It is an unexpected, unfortunate, accident. Saleem was a seasonal business man. He prepared gas on his own by using sodium hydroxide. If it would have been helium, the incident would have been more grievous. He was just an ordinary seasonal business man. Others who stayed with him in the city lodge are his family members."

Regarding the NIA taking information on the incident, he said, "When such incidents occur, it is a normal process for the NIA to collect information from city Police as Mysuru is a major tourist destination. They are doing it. City Police are cooperating and providing all information" he said.

He said that the injured Bengaluru based tourist Lakshmi, 45 and Nanjangud based, Manjula, 29 is critical. Other injured Kolkata based Shahina Shaber, 54 (injured in right leg and thigh), Renebennur based Kotresh Beerappa Gutter (injured in legs and left hand), his cousin Vedashree (minor injury in head) treated at K R hospital, Ranjitha Vinod, 30 (injured in neck) relative of Lakshmi treated at a private hospital are recovering.

Devaraja police have filed an FIR against the deceased balloon vendor Saleem, based on the complaint by one of the injured Kotresh.

It is said that, they have found that Saleem had come to Mysuru about 15 days ago and stayed in a private lodge in Lashkar Mohalla by paying a rent of Rs 100 per day. His wife and three children are shifted to a different place.

The incident occurred when he was filling balloons with gas and selling them near Jayamarthanda gate on Thursday at 8.30pm, where people usually visit to grab the front view of Mysuru and take photos of the backdrop of the Palace, especially the illuminated Mysuru Palace.