Hours after a blast went off at the popular Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru’s Whitefield on Friday, March 1, injuring at least nine people, the eyewitnesses are in shock. “We heard a loud noise all of a sudden, and saw a huge plume of black smoke rise up. The sound had come from the direction of the kitchen, and everyone started rushing outside. There were around 35-40 people at the cafe,” one of the eyewitnesses, Edison, told TNM. He said an ambulance reached immediately and took those injured to the hospital, a short while after which the police also arrived at the spot.
A friend of Edison’s, who was also near the cafe when the blast took place, said they first saw the black smoke and heard the blast within a few seconds. “We initially thought it was a cylinder blast, but later heard that was not the case.”
Another eyewitness, who was standing opposite the cafe when the blast took place, said they too had assumed it was a transformer or cylinder blast. “But once we reached the cafe, we realised it was not. We saw a woman being rushed to hospital with the help of a man. Another woman had fallen on the ground, and we rushed her to hospital with the help of some local residents,” he said.
All of the eyewitnesses said the blast was heard from the area near the kitchen.
Dog squad, bomb squad, Whitefield Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shivakumar Gunare, alongside the Fire force and forensic teams, are in the spot for a detailed probe.
The explosion took place at around 1.30 pm. While the police have not yet confirmed the nature of the blast, they have ruled out a cylinder blast. At least nine persons, including one customer, have sustained injuries in the blast. Rameshwaram Cafe is a popular eatery joint in Bengaluru, well-known for their dosas. With several branches across the city, the hotel runs everyday between 6.30 am and 1 am. Several celebrities, including former Masterchef Australia chef Gary Mehigan, have visited the cafe. Recently, actor Kartik Aaryan visited the cafe.