Six police suspended after explosives found near Modi route in Bengaluru

Six police personnel were suspended after explosives were discovered near the route Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to take during a visit to Bengaluru on May 10, officials said. The suspensions, ordered by Bengaluru South Superintendent of Police Srinivas Gowda, follow an internal inquiry into alleged dereliction of duty by officers deployed for security during the visit.

The explosive material, two gelatin sticks, was found around 9 a.m. on the morning of the visit, approximately two hours before Modi was due to arrive. A police constable noticed a suspicious box near the roadside at Vaderahalli Gate in Bengaluru South taluk, close to the NICE Road junction on Kanakapura Road. The location was about three kilometers from the Art of Living Foundation ashram, where the prime minister was scheduled to attend an event. The bomb detection and disposal squad was immediately called, and upon opening the box, officials confirmed the presence of gelatin sticks secured with tape. The area was cordoned off, and security agencies conducted an intensive sweep of the entire route before clearing it for the prime minister’s convoy.

The suspended personnel include a police...