Geopolitical Ledger

The Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru on March 1, 2024, has stirred open fears of Indian cities becoming terror targets once again. The preliminary investigations by the Central Crime Bureau (CCB), a special unit of Karnataka Police, suggest that there could be a usage of timers and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). A local unit of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) inspected the blast site, and the NIA took over the case a few days after the attack. Similar events in the past have seen the local police call NIA for investigation immediately after the incident. However, in the current disposition, the centre and the state are at logger’s head for various reasons, which have probably been reflected in centre-state coordination in this investigation, delaying the process of handover to NIA. This is evidenced by the fact that there are narratives and counter-narratives across the ruling and opposition parties of the state. Amidst the allegations and counter-allegations between th...