In a statement, Jnanendra said the state government had recommended an NIA probe into the cooker bomb blast in a moving autorickshaw, which the Union Ministry of Home Affairs accepted and ordered a probe by the premier investigation agency.
“With regard to the incident occurred within the Kankanadi police station limits, the state government had taken a decision to recommend an NIA probe based on the evidences and other information collected during the preliminary investigation," the statement read, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The Under Secretary in the Home Ministry Vipul Alok, in the order shared by Jnanendra's office said: "The Central government is of the opinion that a scheduled offence under the NIA Act, 2008, has been committed and having regard to the gravity of the offence and its repercussions on national security, it is required to be investigated by the NIA in accordance with the NIA Act, 2008."
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (5) of section 6 read with section 8 of the NIA Act, 2008, the Central government hereby directs the NIA to take up investigation of the aforesaid case," the order further read.
The blast that took place on 19 November evening inside an autorickshaw, near a police station, left both the passenger and the driver injured. A pressure-cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries were used to trigger the Mangaluru auto-rickshaw blast. After the explosion, the interiors of the autorickshaw were badly damaged.
Earlier, the DGP of Karnataka had confirmed that the blast was not an accident but an ‘act of terror’.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had also said the suspect who allegedly carried out a bomb explosion had terror links. Bommai, citing the preliminary information, had said that the alleged suspect had travelled to various places, including Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra also visited the blast spot on the outskirts of the city, along with Sood, and also the hospital where the auto driver Purushottam Poojary is being treated.
(With PTI inputs)
