By IANS,
Bangalore : Karnataka Chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will inform the state assembly later Monday about his government’s plan to ensure the safety and security of people in the wake of Friday’s serial blasts here and seizure of explosives from Channapatna town, where a blast had taken place Thursday.
Yeddyurappa, heading Karnataka’s first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government which came to power on May 30, has not given out any details of the probe into Friday’s blast as the assembly is in session.
Soon after the eight blasts shook India’s IT hub, killing one woman and injuring seven others, Yeddyurappa cancelled a scheduled visit to his home district Shimoga, about 275 km from here, and held an emergency cabinet meeting. He said the government was determined to curb violence in the state, particularly in Bangalore.
“I cannot make any further comment as the investigation is on and also the assembly is in session. I will make a statement in the assembly Monday,” he said Saturday when a live bomb was found in the upscale Koramangala area here.
On Sunday, Yeddyurappa held a series of meetings with senior civil and police officials on the steps being taken to prevent the recurrence of Friday’s incidents.
He also appointed Upendra Tipathy, a 1980 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, as the new principal home secretary. Tripathy was earlier the transport secretary.
The serial blasts in Ahmedabad Saturday and seizure of nearly eight kilograms of explosive in Channapatna, about 70 km from here, where a minor blast had taken place Thursday, have heightened anxiety among the people in the state.
“The explosives were in a chest found on a roadside in Channapatna town,” state Director General of Police R. Sri Kumar said Sunday evening. “They appear to be similar to the ones used in Friday blasts in Bangalore.”
Thursday’s blast in Channapatna had not caused any damage, Inspector General of Police Kamal Pant said.
Incidentally, both Gujarat and Karnataka are ruled by the BJP. While the party has been major force in Gujarat, it has come to power in Karnataka and south India for the first time on its own this year. For 20 months in 2006-07 it was in power in Karnataka in alliance with the Janata Dal-Secular.
Friday’s blasts did not create any panic in Bangalore though several IT companies, schools and commercial establishments in the affected areas closed for the day.
Life in the city was normal Saturday in spite of the recovery of a live bomb, but main shopping areas and popular youth hangouts were deserted.
The usual weekend buzz was also missing Sunday, with most people preferring to stay at home or visit friends and relatives rather than shopping malls and multiplexes.
However, corporate leaders in Karnataka say the blasts will not affect Bangalore’s reputation as a peaceful place and a safe investment destination.