Mumbai Indians beating Royal Challengers more shocking than bomb blasts, say spectators
Mumbai Indians beating Royal Challengers more shocking than bomb blasts, say spectators
The low intensity explosions at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium before the Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians IPL match on Saturday, didn't dampen enthusiasm among fans.
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| The bomb squad defuse the third bomb found outside Gate 8 of Chinnaswamy Stadium; Sniffer dogs check for bombs outside Gate 12 (below). PICS/Satish Badiger |
"We knew bombs had been planted, but we wanted to enjoy the game," said Sunil Sirsangi, a spectator. "After we heard the explosives were of low intensity, we forgot about them. The real shock was RCB's defeat."
While two explosives went off just before the match started, another bomb was detected and defused while the match was on. According to the police, the defused bomb was to go off at 8 pm after the match ended, when the crowds were leaving the stadium.u00a0 "It wasn't possible thanks to the discipline among the crowd. Hats off to them," said Shankar M Bidri, city police commissioner.
The bomb detective squad have found explosives containing ammonium nitrate and glycerin and are probing similarities to the serial blasts two years ago. "It seems to be the handiwork of mischievous elements, but we are also considering the possibility of subversive elements," said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police.
Rumours suspecting terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen did the rounds but the police remained non-committal.
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