The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

On March 1, 2024, an unexpected blast in the Rameshwaram Café located at ITPL Road, Brookefield, shattered the peace in Bengaluru, Karnataka. At least 10 people were injured in the blast at the café. Media reports quoted Divya, Managing Director of Rameshwaram Café stating that there were two explosions, less than 10 seconds apart. "The first explosion was near the cash counter and then there was chaos. I don't know where the second explosion took place," she said. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar indicated that the man who placed the bag containing the IED has been identified on CCTV.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that the blast was caused by an IED and said a man placed a bag containing the device inside the cafe. "It was not a large-scale blast. It was an improvised explosive blast. Such things have happened earlier too, it should not happen. Let's see what it is. In recent times, such blasts have not taken place other than the incident in Mangaluru during BJP rule. This is the first such incident during our government."

The blast at Rameshwaram Café on March 1, 2024, was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), injuring at least 10 people

News reports of April 6 stated that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified Mussavir Hussain Shazib as the key accused who carried out the IED blast at the Rameshwaram cafe on March 1 and Abdul Matheen Taahaa as the co-conspirator. Both the accused are residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga District of Karnataka. The NIA spokesperson said the NIA had conducted searches at 18 locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, as part of the efforts to locate and arrest the accused that are on the run. He further said that as part of the investigation, Muzammil Shareef, a resident of Khalsa, Chikkamagaluru, who extended logistics support to the main accused persons, was arrested on March 26 and was examined in police custody. On March 29, the NIA had declared rewards of 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the accused persons.

Earlier on April 5, Asianet News reported that the NIA detained Sai Prasad, a BJP activist, in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast. Prasad was reportedly named by two mobile shop workers, who were questioned by the NIA. He was detained from Thirthahalli in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka. According to the report, the investigation revealed that Sai Prasad was in contact with these individuals, prompting his arrest for further questioning. It was also revealed that a police person in Chikkamagaluru assisted the mother of the main conspirator in securing a rented house.

Hopefully both the accused will be apprehended but it is lucky that the blast(s) were low intensity. A more powerful device would have caused much more damage and many more casualties. This should also bring into focus the possibility of 'Lone Wolf' attacks, especially now that the Islamic State has threatened to undertake lone wolf attacks around the world and India is in the crosshairs of regional and international terrorist organisations.

The NIA conducted widespread raids in 2023, arresting over 180 people for involvement in jihadist terror cases, with a significant focus on Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru and Ballari

At the same time, the problem of radicalisation which India has been facing and continues to face, coupled with increased polarisation in the run up to elections, needs extra focus. Moreover, the complexities of radicalisation go up with global terrorist groups, Islamic State included, indoctrinate our youth. This has happened in the past as well. We have had youth going abroad to join terrorist organisations. There have also been reports in the past that the Islamic State returned some volunteers to form "sleepers" in the country of origin, for activation as and when required.

Significantly, the NIA conducted widespread raids across India in 2023, seizing weapons, explosives, and propaganda material, and arrested over 180 people for involvement in jihadist terror cases, 65 of which were associated specifically with the Islamic State. These raids covered an IS-inspired cell "IS in Ballari," which covered Ballari and Bengaluru in Karnataka; both these places have been the breeding ground of radical Islamist terrorists.

A Washington DC-based research group has detailed the data of hate speeches in India during 2023. Of the 668 instances of hate speeches in the country, 118 were in Maharashtra, 104 in Uttar Pradesh, 65 in Madhya Pradesh, 64 in Rajasthan, 48 in Haryana, 41 in Uttarakhand, 40 in Karnataka, 31 in Gujarat, 21 in Chhattisgarh and 18 in Bihar.

Hate speech incidents in India during 2023 were widespread, with Karnataka accounting for 40 instances, highlighting the issue of radicalisation and polarisation in the region

Ironically, the quality of our politicians, many illiterate or with fake educational degrees, leave much to be desired; their only aim being to capture power without realising the damage caused by hate speech. Moreover, India has its own socio-economic problems; raging unemployment, low standing in hunger index, vast economic gap between the rich and poor, and the like.

Making sophisticated IEDs with timers is hardly a problem these days with both the material available on through open source and know-how available on the web or from seeing movies. Keeping full tabs on radicalisation in our teaming population is no easy task, with information and disinformation being used to inflame grievances or perceived grievances. We also have a serious problem of drugs in the country, which leads the youth to violence.

There have been instances of lone wolf attacks abroad, where their motive-cum-radicalisation came to light only "after" the attack was launched. We need to be prepared for such contingencies. Moreover, terrorists abroad have been using drones. Notably, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group in Pakistan, an affiliate of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had announced successful test firing of its surface-to-air missile (SAM) in December 2023. The group has just announced another successful firing of the SAM.