Centre terms Bangalore blast as 'terror attack', wants an NIA probe

New Delhi: Terming the Bangalore blast as a “terror attack,” the Centre on Monday said the case could be handed over to the NIA and asked Karnataka government to beef up security by increasing CCTV surveillance in the IT city. Emerging from a high-level security review meeting, a day after the low intensity blast in Bangalore left a woman dead, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said an idea about the nature of the blast and who could be behind it could be ascertained only after a proper probe. [caption id=“attachment_2020727” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] One woman was killed and three persons were injured when a low-intensity bomb exploded outside a restaurant in Bangalore on Sunday night. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, “It was a terror attack.” He said investigators were trying to piece together the leads and efforts were on to find out the people behind the blast. “It is too early to say anything on it. Investigation is on,” he said when asked who could be behind the explosion. The Home Minister said the Centre would provide all possible help to Karnataka in the Bangalore blast case and asked the state government to install adequate number of CCTVs in prime areas of the IT city. “I appeal to the Karnataka government to install CCTV cameras as much as possible in as many places. It is too early to say who is behind this,” he told reporters here. Singh also appealed to all state governments, particularly those having major cities, to install maximum possible number of CCTV cameras in all prime locations. “The central government is ready to provide all assistance to the state government in this endeavour,” he said. Asked about the possibility of handing over the blast probe to National Investigation Agency, Singh said a decision on it would be taken only after collecting the relevant information. “If necessary, we will hand over the investigation to the NIA,” he said. Condemning the blast, the Home Minister said the central government would provide all necessary assistance to the state government in its probe. PTI