Blast near BJP office in Bangalore hurts 11 cops, 5 civilians

A low-intensity incendiary bomb went off close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in the Karnataka capital of Bangalore this morning injuring 16 people, as the state heads for elections on 5 May.

The injuries are fortunately said to be minor, with none of those hurt in critical condition.

The union ministry of home affairs was quick to call it a terrorist strike in a state headed by the BJP, which rules the state but is the main opposition party at the centre.

In an indirect reflection of the priority given by Indian police to protecting politicians over ordinary civilians, as many as 11 of the injured were police personnel.

Three of the five civilians injured were women, and the two others were teenagers.

"A bomb-like material on a motorbike exploded around 10.30 am injuring 16 people, including 11 policemen, near the BJP office at Malleswaram in north-west Bangalore," Director General of Police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachau said.

Union minister for home affairs Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in Kolkata that he has ordered an inquiry into the blast; but failed to provide further details about the type of probe or the agency that would conduct it.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Karnataka home minister and a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader R Ashok said the blast was "a clear act of terror" and that the party's office was the probable target.

But neither he nor the police have so far made any comment on the possible persons involved.

Ashok said the BJP office was crowded with volunteers and party workers today, as it was the last day to file applications for contesting next month's polls.

In a knee-jerk reaction, security was stepped up in New Delhi in the wake of the blast, with special checking of in-bound and out-bound vehicles. Vigilance was also stepped up at railway stations, airport, metro stations, market places and other public places in the capital.

The last major terror attack in Bangalore was in 2008, when nine bomb explosions ripped through the city, killing two and injuring more than 20.