Karnataka’s Congress leader DK Shivakumar gave a clean chit to the Mangaluru bomb blast accused while addressing a press conference on Thursday 15th December 2022. He said that the Mangaluru bomb blast might have taken place by mistake and also questioned whether it was as big a terrorist attack as the one that happened in Mumbai. DK Shivakumar asked how can one be called a terrorist without any probe, overlooking the fact that the NIA team investigating the case has found ample proof from the residence of the accused which proves that he had a well-established connection with the Islamist terror outfit ISIS.
DK Shivakumar said, “You tell me is he a big terrorist? Please let me know what action have you taken. Who was declared? Without investigation how can they just call someone a terrorist? If they had gone into detail we would know. Was it a terror attack like what happened in Mumbai or Kashmir or Pulwama? There is nothing in it. Some fellows may have done some mistakes. How do you have the right to project it in a different light? They did it for votes. They wanted to steal votes.”
He said, “The BJP government has no significant achievement to showcase to voters. By projecting the blast in a big way, the government wants to steal votes… Who do you call a terrorist? What was shown on TV? What was shown in the media….nothing.”
S Prakash, a BJP spokesperson, criticized DK Shivakumar for his remarks and asked for an apology from the Congressman. He said, “Who is a terrorist will be decided by the police after investigation. If DK Shivakumar doesn’t know the basics after being a minister for so many years, it is very unfortunate. Coming out in support of terror activity accused is very dangerous. He is endangering the life of the people of Karnataka. He should apologize for his careless remark.”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala tweeted, “DK Shivkumar & Congress gives a clean chit to Mangluru Blast (auto rickshaw/cooker blast) accused suspected to have links with ISIS. The probe has been taken over by NIA but Congress which is quick to label Hindu Terror gives a clean chit to Islamist terror for vote bank!”
DK Shivkumar & Congress gives a clean chit to Mangluru Blast (auto rickshaw / cooker blast) accused suspected to have links with ISIS. The probe has been taken over by NIA but Congress which is quick to label Hindu Terror gives a clean chit to Islamist terror for votebank!
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) December 15, 2022
The Mangaluru bomb blast case
On 19th November 2022, a blast took place in an autorickshaw running on the streets of Mangaluru in Karnataka. The explosion in the vehicle in the coastal city of Karnataka took place under a mysterious situation. However, within 24 hours of the blast, the Director General of Police (DGP) Karnataka tweeted to confirm that this blast was an act of terror and a series of revelations appeared in the subsequent investigations.
“It’s confirmed now,” said the Director General of Police (DGP) in a tweet. “The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies.”
It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies. https://t.co/lmalCyq5F3
— DGP KARNATAKA (@DgpKarnataka) November 20, 2022
One of the most important chapters of the findings of the probe is that the accused culprit in this case – Mohammed Shariq – had links with Islamist terror outfits and that he was posing to be a Hindu before executing the attack, so that, in case he dies in the attack, his identity is mistaken to be a Hindu thereby rendering the attack an act of the so-called Hindu Terror.
