Chikkamagaluru, Mar 2 (IANS): Former BJP National General Secretary, C T Ravi, stated in Karnataka on Saturday that the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru was a rehearsal by subversive forces and was indicative of an impending series of blasts.

Speaking to reporters in Chikkamagaluru, Ravi stated, “I feel the Rameshwaram Café low-intensity blast was a rehearsal, a test that hints towards impending serial blasts. An experimental explosion was carried out.”

C T Ravi added, “Previously, serial bomb blasts were reported from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Now, a similar attempt has been made. The religious fanatics and terrorists have joined hands to carry out subversive activities. I urge the Karnataka government to hand over the probe in the café blast to the NIA totally.”

He went on to state that the NIA had arrested 21 suspected terrorists in Karnataka after the Congress government came to power.

He recounted that on July 19, 2023 five people were arrested for conspiring to carry out bomb blasts in Bengaluru and on December 18, 2023 eight men were held in connection with an IED blast, while on January 13 this year, the authorities had nabbed eight suspected suicide bombers.

“We used to hear about cases of bomb blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Now, in the North, bomb blasts have become rare and they are being reported in South India, especially in Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka. This is a serious matter.

“Our Karnataka government is trying to create ‘Brand Bengaluru’ but now this ‘Brand Bengaluru’ is facing a bomb threat,” C T Ravi said.

“It is not new that terrorists have made Karnataka a sleeper cell (hub). These elements have used Karnataka as a training centre (for long). In Koppa region in Chikkamagaluru District, they were getting training for manufacturing bombs and guns. In Thirthahalli, the subversive elements were training for triggering pressure cooker blasts. Training was also given in Kodagu region of Karnataka that shares a border with Kerala. The government has information on Karnataka being used as a training centre by terrorists,” he explained.

He went on to add that religious fundamentalism came to the fore in Padarayanapura locality during the Corona pandemic as Corona Warriors were attacked there and the same fanaticism was witnessed in the DJ Halli and KG Halli violence case.

“The house of a Dalit MLA was gutted and apart from private vehicles being set on fire they had also burnt down a police station,” C T Ravi stated.

“The Hubballi-Dharwad region of north Karnataka also witnessed extreme religious fundamentalism. Due to the fanaticism, pro-Pakistan slogans were raised in Bengaluru Assembly and other parts of the state,” he said.

“After the cooker bomb blast case in Mangaluru, state capital Bengaluru also witnessed an explosion. If you take 11 years’ history of bomb blasts, including low-intensity ones, Karnataka has witnessed six such incidents. This is an experiment to carry out serial bomb blasts,” C T Ravi reiterated.

“Bhatkal region in Karnataka has turned into a terrorist hotspot. After analysing all these facts, it seems there is a big preparation. As part of the seventh century ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ movement that originated in the Middle East, we lost Gandhara province which became Afghanistan, we lost Sindh, which became Pakistan and we also lost Bangladesh. The alienation of Jammu and Kashmir from India was part of the ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ programme.

“When the office of SIMI was raided recently, the authorities obtained a map which mentioned parts of India ruled by Mughals as Mughalistan. The authorities also came to know about preparations to carry out subversive activities to turn India into Mughalistan,” he stated.

He went on to say that there was a possibility of an international link to the Bengaluru café blast and the probe should be handed over to the NIA completely.

“CM Siddaramaiah has stated that no politics should be carried out. This is an issue concerning the security of our people. I appeal to CM Siddaramaiah to advise his ministers and MLAs not to have sympathies with terrorists. The accused in the DJ Halli and KG Halli violence case were projected as innocents by cabinet ministers. They had also written letters demanding their release. They dubbed the Mangaluru cooker blast incident as a game by the BJP. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar called the accused his ‘brothers’. This sympathetic attitude should stop now,” he stated.