NDTV report:

Bangalore has been hit by five serial bomb blasts at crowded locations on a stretch from Brigade Road to Hosur Road.

The blasts reportedly occurred at Nayandahallil, Anepalya, Madiwala and Koramangalam within a span of 12 minutes, leaving at least 3 dead.

According to preliminary reports, the first blast took place at 1.30 in the afternoon. The low intensity bombs were planted mostly near refugee settlements and appeared to have been triggered by timers.

Bomb squads have been rushed to the blast sites. The telephone lines have been jammed.
The city police commissioner has urged the people to ”carry on with their daily activities without any fear.”

As the report reads, 5 (or rumoured to be 7) blasts occured in Bangalore’s many crowded locations. The bombs were low-intensiity ones (thanfully), made of gelatin. The blasts ended up killing 3 (feared to be 7) people and about 15-20 people injured. Irishtimes.com says Islamist militant groups of Pakistan and Bangladesh are suspected to be behind these blasts. The Commissioner of Police is supposed to have urged the people to continue with their daily activities without any more fears. Easier said than done!

Hopefully things will be cleared up soon and the situation will not become a setback for the newly formed government in the state.

Update: 8.30 PM

There have been totally 8 bombs that have gone off today until now. All have been recognized to be low-intensity ones. The number of dead people is 2 and injured ones are more than 20. The government has assured a sum of 1 Lakh rupees to the families of the deceased.

The bombs were mostly placed in the southern parts of the city; in areas like Audogodi, Mallya hospital region, and Mysore Road. Another bomb was found (which did not go off) mainly made crudely of gelatin sticks.

The traffic has come to a stand-still at many places owing to the large number of checkposts that the police have set up around the city. If you are in the city, you can do the following to avoid having to walk into another bomb (God forbid!):

• Movies and parties can wait. Don’t make them the last ones you attend.
• Stay indoors. Contact any one who is yet to return and make sure they get to a safe place (closest friend/relative) ASAP.
• Call the police if you are in trouble or need help! Here is the list of contact numbers based on the zone you are in: Police Contact Information
• If it is inevitable for you to go out, carry all the necessary vehicle documents and personal identification to avoid any confusions when the Police check you.

The central government claims to have alerted the state of an imminent attack and says the blasts were the result of the state government’s complacent attitude. The blame game begins!

As Bangaloreans, we just hope that the night has silenced for good.