Police detain accused within an hour over bomb threat during PM Modi’s Bengaluru visit
Bengaluru (PTI): A day after a bomb threat caused a brief security scare during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru, City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Monday said it was a hoax and the accused was detained within an hour using technical surveillance.
According to the police, at around 8.29 am on Sunday, an unidentified person called the police control room and claimed to have planted a bomb near the Art of Living Foundation venue on Kanakapura Road, where Modi was scheduled to attend a programme. The caller also threatened to detonate the explosive device.
The threat call was immediately communicated to the Koramangala Police Station. During the investigation, police found that the call had originated from KHB Colony in Koramangala.
Speaking to reporters, Singh said the city police control room had received the threat call on Sunday morning, with the caller claiming to have planted an explosive device in an area where elaborate security arrangements had been made for the PM’s visit.
After making the threat call, the accused allegedly switched off his mobile phone. However, police teams used technical surveillance to trace his location and detained him within an hour, he said.
Singh said personnel from the South East Division, the Central Crime Branch (CCB), and other police units were investigating the matter.
“Giving false information, issuing threats, and making hoax calls are serious offences, and action is being taken accordingly,” the commissioner said.
Citing the preliminary investigation, the officer said the accused allegedly had a habit of making such calls and sending threatening messages to various places using his mobile phone. Police were also investigating the motive behind the act.
“As of now, this appears to be a hoax call,” he said.
Responding to a question about the accused’s mental health condition, Singh said doctors would examine him and that police were also looking into records indicating that he may have undergone treatment in the past.
“We will verify the details with the concerned doctors and examine his previous records. For that purpose, he is in police custody as part of the investigation,” he added.
The threat call put security agencies on high alert, leading to intensified anti-sabotage checks and route inspections by bomb disposal squads and police personnel deployed for bandobast duty.
A case has been registered in connection with the incident, police said.
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Karnataka government lifts ban on hijab in classrooms imposed in 2022
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday withdrew its 2022 order banning wearing hijab in classrooms and has issued a fresh order permitting students to wear a ‘limited traditional and practice-based symbols’.
According to the Deccan Herald, the preceding BJP government had, in February 2022, banned students from wearing hijab to classrooms, giving rise to a controversy as some Muslim girls were prevented from attending classes since their dress was not in accordance with the uniforms of the institutions. The BJP government also insisted that the girls follow the uniform prescribed by the schools or colleges they were studying in.
Further, in March 2022, the High Court upheld the government order, stating that wearing hijab was not an essential practice in Islam. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a split verdict in October the same year.
The present decision of the state government follows strong objections raised by leaders of the Muslim community when the Congress did not give the Davanagere bypoll ticket to a Muslim candidate.
The leaders reminded the party that the hijab issue remained unresolved although it was three years since the party came to power.
