The blast ripped through the fourth floor of a building under construction at Jamia Road, Bengaluru, around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, sending a fireball into the air and shattering windows. Two workers were taken to Bowring Hospital—one a Nepalese security guard who lost a finger, the other a construction worker with minor injuries.
The Pulakeshinagar police squad, along with the Anti‑Terrorism Cell and forensic specialists, arrived on scene within minutes. Samples of the suspected battery and surrounding debris were collected and sent to a state laboratory for chemical analysis.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told reporters that the blast likely followed a worker pressing a button on a battery torch, according to preliminary evidence. He added that the explosion may have involved a chemical reaction, but the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
The incident unfolded during the Dussehra festive period, a time when Bengaluru has already experienced a string of unexplained explosions linked to explosive manufacturing. Authorities are reviewing whether this blast connects to those earlier events.
Investigators will reconstruct the materials used in the blast once laboratory results arrive and will question the building owner and any occupants of nearby flats. The outcome of this probe will determine whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.
Residents in the surrounding blocks have expressed unease, citing the sudden roar that felt like a firecracker festival—an echo of last year’s unexplained blast near the same area.
The next steps include a full forensic report by Thursday, after which the police will decide if charges are warranted against any party involved.