Hours after a low-intensity blast left two injured in Karnataka's Mangaluru, top cop Praveen Sood on Sunday said the explosion was "an act of terror". The police said the explosion was carried out to cause "serious damage", adding that state and central agencies were working together to probe the incident.
"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," DGP Karnataka said in a tweet.
NDTV quoted Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra saying that police are collecting information about the blast and initial reports suggest it was a terror attack.
"The person injured in the blast is not in a position to speak yet. The police team is collecting all the information. Early indications into the probe suggest terrorist activity. We have informed the central security agencies, and they have sent a team to Mangaluru. We are expecting concrete information in the next one or two days," NDTV quoted Jnanendra as saying.
An auto-rickshaw driver and a passenger were injured in Mangaluru's Nagori on Saturday after the auto-rickshaw caught fire following an explosion. The duo sustained burn injuries, according to a report in Indian Express.
"The Special team and the FSL (Forensic Science Lab) team has collected the evidence and are ascertaining the reasons behind the incident. Some people have been injured. They are being treated for burns." the report quoted Mangaluru city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar as saying.
Appealing to the people to not panic, city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, "There is no need to create confusion and spread rumours through social media." Though it wasn't initially clear what caused the explosion, Kumar said the passenger was carrying a bag.