Bengaluru: A blast allegedly triggered due to mishandling of a can, laden with a chemical, claimed the life of a 56-year-old man near the R.R. Nagar MLA Munirathna's house in Vyalikaval on Sunday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Venkatesh, a washerman. The impact of the explosion, which took place at around 9:15 am, was so strong that the body got mutilated. It also shattered the window panes of Munirathna's house and an adjacent house.
According to sources, Venkatesh was carrying a plastic can filled with a chemical which was to be used for preparing POP idols. The explosion happened because Venkatesh carelessly kept the can on the ground with a jerk, outside the parking area of Munirathna's house, they added.
Munirathna was reportedly getting a peacock statue installed alongside the existing one on the premises of his house. The chemical was to be used for this purpose.
The impact of the explosion so severe that a crater was formed on the road. The deafening sound created panic among the people living in the surrounding areas. Soon after the incident, a bomb squad, FSL team and city Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar along with a police team rushed to the spot.
While the FSL team collected the residue of plastic can and the chemical, an official from the Bomb Squad confirmed that except this chemical, no other explosive substances were found at the site.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the explosion was triggered due to mishandling of the can.
Suneel Kumar told reporters that FSL team was investigating the blast causes. It was confirmed that Venkatesh, who was known to Munirathna, had a plastic can in his hand which exploded, he said.
Speaking to media, Munirathna appealed to the people not spread rumours about the incident as the police were still investigating it. “Venkatesh was just like a family member to us. I'm very upset over what happened to him. But let us not spread rumours about a dead man. I was the one who called the police after hearing about the explosion,” he said.
Vyalikaval police have registered a case.
