One of India's top technology hubs, Bengaluru was rocked by two bombs going off within seconds of each other at peak lunch hour at a popular eatery on Friday, injuring nine people, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirming that the blasts were caused by a low intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

‍

‍

Rameswaram Cafe in the IT hub Whitefield was packed with customers at 12.55 pm when the multiple bombs, which police later said was left in an unattended bag, exploded. The two loud bangs could be heard across the neighbourhood, crowded with lunch-time office-goers. As thick black smoke engulfed the restaurant, panicked customers lining up to pick up their food orders inside Rameswaram Cafe, fled the scene.

‍

‍

Police and fire engines were rushed to the food joint, with ambulances ferrying the injured to nearby Brookfield hospital for treatment. All the injured have been declared out of danger.

‍

‍

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he had been informed that "samples have been collected from the blast spot by sleuths for scientific analysis". He said police were verifying reports through CCTV footage that "some miscreants left a bag inside the hotel at around 12 noon and had left the place."

‍

‍

Not ready to point any fingers at any organisation and on whether it was connected to impending Lok Sabha polls, the CM said it  was too early to blame any group for the IED blast as the investigation had only just begun and "officers were probing it from all angles".

‍

‍

"Stern action would be initiated against  the guilty", he added.

‍

‍

Mr. Siddaramaiah who was in Mysuru also told reporters: "CCTV and other things are being examined. We have come to know about someone placing a bag. It is said to be an improvised explosive blast. We have to see, the investigations are on."

‍

‍

The owner of the popular restaurant chain Divya Raghavendra Rao said the paper bag with the bombs were left in the area where customers wash their hands.

‍

‍

Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar who visited the spot following instructions from the CM confirmed that all the injured were out of danger. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B.Dayanand and other senior officials also visited the blast site.

‍

‍

While initially, it  was suspected to be an LPG  cylinder blast or a boiler explosion, police said they were almost certain that it was an IED blast and were investigating footage of an autorickshaw leaving the site. Sleuths from the Bomb Disposal Squad, sniffer dogs and FSL, as well as a team from the National Investigation Agency arrived in quick succession at the restaurant in Kundalahalli, screening off the area. Apart from CCTV footage, investigators were given access to footage filmed by customers on their mobile phones of the injured being helped out of the restaurant, soon after the bombs went off.

Asked whether it was a terrorist act, the CM said, "It is not known and investigations are on. It was not a large-scale blast, it was an improvised explosive blast. Such things have happened earlier too. Let's see what it is."

‍

‍

"In recent times, such blasts have not taken place other than the incident in Mangaluru during the BJP's rule. This is the first such incident during our government," he added.

‍

‍

BJP Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya was quick to up the ante with a post on X saying "Bengaluru demands clear answers from Siddaramaiah."

‍

‍

Congress insiders who requested anonymity  said blasts such as these, weeks before polls dates are announced could be part of a plan to whip up communal sentiment in the run up to crucial Lok Sabha polls as internal surveys by both parties showed that neither party had an edge.

‍

‍

Too early to say 'terror attack,' investigators told this reporter.