Police yet to establish nature of device

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 25. The Bangalore City Police and the Railway Police today said that the screening of a device found in the Rani Chennamma Express on Sunday night had failed to give any conclusive result on whether it was a bomb.

Mr. T. Madiyal, Police Commissioner, and Mr. M. V. Murthy, Superintendent of Police (Railways), said the scanning done by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here could not give any decisive result. The device, which had an 18-inch-long cylindrical body and weighed about 1.5 kg., had to be opened up to ascertain whether it contained any explosive. ``If there is no explosive substance, it is not a bomb,'' Mr. Madiyal said.

However, some senior police officers, who did not want to be identified, felt that the device was a ``very powerful bomb.'' It was powerful enough to destroy at least six compartments on the train, they added.

Mr. Murthy said the FSL wanted a clearance from a court of law to open the device. Such a clearance was required under the law, he said. An investigating officer was taking steps to get the court's permission at the earliest.

It may be noted that a passenger of the train, which left the City Railway Station at 8.30 p.m., found the device with a timer within five minutes after its departure. He is said to have brought this to the notice of a policeman who was on board the train. The constable, identified as Mr. Venkatesh, immediately called up the police while another commuter pulled the chain, bringing the train to a halt near Malleswaram. It is said there was a mad rush at the doors of the bogies as everyone wanted to get out of the train before the device would go off. All the passengers had alighted before the police arrived at the scene, it is said.

Among the commuters were Mr. H. K. Patil, Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation, and the former Chief Minister, Mr. S. Bangarappa.

Mr. Madiyal said no finger prints had been found on the device. Asked if terrorists had gained entry into the City, which is already on high alert, Mr. Madiyal said: ``I cannot comment on it unless we know for sure that it (the device) is a bomb.''

He said a dog squad had been pressed into service last night as a precautionery measure. The train was allowed to leave only after 11.15 p.m.

The movement of trains in this sector was affected as the train had to be stationed on the rails for over three hours.

The City, which is in the midst of celebration of Christmas, took the news with disbelief.Mr. Patil himself told a private television channel that he could not believe it initially because ``we are still away from such a culture.''

Meanwhile, official sources wondered why a device had been placed openly in the toilet of the train. If somebody intended to cause damage, it could have been hidden in a compartment.

Mr. Madiyal said the Bangalore City Police were coordinating with the Railway Police, who had taken up the investigation.

Mr. Murthy, told TheHindu that the Railway Police were investigating the issue from a different angle. He said the scrutiny of the passengers had been intensified following the recovery of the device. The Railway policemen in plain clothes were keeping an eye on the commuters and frisking the passengers and checking their luggage. Sniffer dogs were being taken into all compartments to ensure that nothing was taken for granted, he added.

Mr. Murthy said all the major railway stations in the State had been alerted and had been asked to intensify the vigil.

If the device was a bomb and if it had gone off, it could have left a serious impact for about 200 to 300 metres, Mr. Madiyal said.

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