Chamarajanagara:Erode district police have clarified that the explosion reported at the house of a relative of Kannada film icon Dr Rajkumar at Gajanur in Tamil Nadu was not caused by a country-made bomb or crude explosive. According to a press statement issued by the police, a loud firecracker blast shattered the windowpanes of the house.
Meanwhile, Thalavady police have detained five local residents for questioning in connection with the incident. The five were reportedly present near the house when the explosion occurred, and investigators are questioning them to establish their possible involvement.
However, the family members have disputed the police version and insisted that the incident was a crude bomb attack.
They have urged the authorities not to close the case by describing the explosion as a firecracker incident. Speaking to reporters family members questioned how a firecracker could have caused such extensive damage to the property.
They said the doors had been damaged, windowpanes were shattered, and a sofa inside the house had caught fire.
“If it was merely a firecracker explosion, how could the doors be damaged? The glass panes were completely shattered, the door was broken and the sofa caught fire. What happened outside our house was an explosive attack and not a firecracker blast,” the family members said.
The explosion occurred at around 10.22 pm on Monday night. Initially, investigators suspected that firecrackers burst during Deepavali celebrations might have caused the damage.
However, the intensity of the blast raised suspicions of a possible crude bomb attack, prompting police to collect samples from the scene.
The latest statement from Erode district police has now added a new dimension to the investigation, with the family’s allegations differing from the official explanation.
New luggage tariff
in KSRTC buses
Bengaluru:Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has placed a further load on bus passengers.
Those already troubled by the increase in bus ticket fares, now face higher luggage-transport charges beginning Tuesday, 10 November.
Under the revised schedule, the charge for the first five stages rises from Rs. 6 to Rs. 10. For stages 6 to 10, the earlier charge of Rs. 10 becomes Rs. 15, while for stages 11 to 15, the previous rate of Rs. 20 climbs to Rs. 25. Passengers remain entitled to carry luggage weighing up to 10 kg free of cost.
Free carriage is likewise available for heavy articles up to 20 kg.
Extra charges, however, will apply once the prescribed weight limit is exceeded.
The increase is expected to affect daily travellers seriously, especially traders who move at taluk and district levels.
For ordinary citizens already strained by several earlier price rises, the measure adds further economic difficulty.