Karnataka govt has taken the blast incident in Mangaluru seriously: CM Bommai
Chitradurga/Mangaluru, Nov 22: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the state government has taken a serious note of the Mangaluru blast case.
He also said the Karnataka police are alert and have so far busted 18 terror sleeper cells in the state over a period of time.
"We have taken it (Mangaluru blast case) seriously keeping in view the national security," Bommai told reporters.
He said that some people having connections with other states are conducting their (terror-related) activities in Karnataka. The police have arrested those from other states as well, he added.
"You should know that the Karnataka police has busted 18 terror sleeper cell and sent them to jail. Yet they are making attempts," Bommai said.
"The NIA has initiated measures to bust the terror organisation, be it international or national, which is behind him (Mangaluru blast accused Mohammed Shariq)," he added.
Meanwhile, police got the photograph of the iconic Shiva statue at Coimbatore of the Isha Foundation from the blast accused.
Mangaluru police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said: "We are yet to interrogate him (Shariq). Whatever information we have got through various other evidences, we are continuing our investigation."
When asked whether Shariq and his accomplices had visited Isha Foundation when he was in Coimbatore, he said "the investigating officer is probing that aspect."
Police found materials that go into making bomb from the rented house in Mysuru of Shariq, who was "influenced and inspired" by a global terrorist organisation.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Alok Kumar said the police are trying to find out the 24-year-old's links with people outside Karnataka.
Shariq, hailing from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district, was travelling in an autorickshaw with a pressure cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries, when it exploded on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Saturday.
He suffered burn injuries, is currently being treated in a city hospital and unable to speak.
The Karnataka police termed the explosion "an act of terror" with intention to cause serious damage.
They are probing the incident along with central agencies.
"...Our priority is to see that he survives, we have to take him to a stage where we can question him", Kumar said on Monday.
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IMF approves USD 206 million emergency funding for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka's recovery
Colombo (PTI): The IMF has approved an emergency funding of USD 206 million under its rapid finance instrument to help Sri Lanka “address the urgent needs arising from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah and preserve macroeconomic stability”.
The cyclone caused widespread destruction in the island nation and left over 643 people dead.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the disaster has created urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs, generating significant fiscal pressures and balance-of-payments needs.
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The emergency financial support provided by the IMF under the rapid finance instrument will help address these pressures, it said.
The IMF added that the cyclone devastation hit when the Fifth Review of Sri Lanka’s USD 2.9 billion bailout was nearing completion.
“Given the time needed to assess the economic impact of the cyclone and examine how an IMF-supported programme can best support Sri Lanka’s recovery and reconstruction efforts while preserving objectives and policy priorities, the Fifth Review has been deferred," it said.
"An IMF mission team will visit Sri Lanka in early 2026 to resume discussions,” it added.
The 48-month extended fund facility deal with the IMF in March 2023 carried hard reforms to Sri Lanka's welfare-based governance.
It was signed after Sri Lanka plunged into an unprecedented economic meltdown with its first-ever sovereign default.
Several hours before the IMF decision, the parliament here approved without a vote a supplementary estimate of LKR 500 billion, which the government said was required to restore the livelihoods of those affected by the disaster.
