Karnataka: After initially calling for calm, the Karnataka Police has claimed that a low-intensity blast in a Mangaluru auto-rickshaw was an “act of terror.”
The Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood has tweeted that the blast is “not accidental”. His tweet has “act of terror” in capital letters.
“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies,” he wrote.
CCTV videos shared on social media showed an auto-rickshaw trailing fire as it made its way down a road.
The driver and passenger of the auto-rickshaw were both injured.
Mangaluru police chief N Sasikumar said people should not panic.
“It is early to jump to conclusions. The driver alleged he spotted the fire. They (driver and passenger) are undergoing treatment and are unable to speak now. We request the public not to spread rumours. They should remain calm and not panic. We will update once we speak to them,” Sasikumar said.
The Mangaluru Police said they are conducting a thorough investigation and checking the contents of the bag that the passenger was carrying. A forensics team has collected samples from the site.
