Rameshwaram Cafe blast: Why Karnataka govt is keen to keep NIA out

Expressing confidence that the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case will be cracked in quick time, the Karnataka government is in no hurry to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as demanded by the opposition BJP in the state.

The BJP has been applying immense pressure on the Congress government in the state to hand over the case to the NIA, saying there are terror links to it. 

A blast ripped through the Whitefield, Bengaluru outlet of Rameshwaram Café, a popular eatery, injuring 10 people on Friday (March 1). Police officials have secured CCTV footage of the suspects’ movement in and around the café, which may help them crack the case.

Siddaramaiah defensive

On Sunday (March 3), at an event in Chikmagaluru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasised that the Bengaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) is actively managing the investigation, and that any potential transfer to the NIA would only occur if deemed necessary.

The BJP should stop politicising it, he said. “I condemn the bombing. The BJP should not do politics on the issue of death and pain,” he said at the Sunday event. “There was a cooker bomb blast in Mangaluru (in 2022) and once again there was a bomb blast in front of the BJP office. The BJP was in power then. Did we see it politically like they are doing now?”

Why the reluctance

The Siddaramaiah government, sources said, is not too keen to hand over the case to the central agency, as it will then lose control over it. This is particularly so since the BJP has been trying to shift the narrative, pinning the blame on the Congress’s ‘appeasement politics’ towards minorities.

Siddaramaiah on Saturday chaired a key meeting with top police officials, including DGP and IGP, ADGP (Law and Order) and state intelligence officials, among others, and decided to keep the case with state government agencies. Home Minister G Parameshwara was also present at the meeting.

The sources said the issue of handing over the investigation to the NIA did come up, but the police officials said they were confident of cracking the case and arresting the accused involved in the blast.

Narrative concerns

“They have a definite clue about the case, and there is no need to give credit to central agencies,” an official of the rank of ADGP told The Federal.

According to the sources, the ruling party in the state is worried that if the NIA takes over the probe, the BJP will build a narrative against the Congress government.

“As the BJP is trying to politicise the issue, alleging that the Congress government is appeasing a minority community, handing over the case to the central agency may prove dearly to the ruling party,” sources in the Chief Minister's Office said. The fact that Lok Sabha elections are coming up within months is heightening the concern.

A minister who doesn't want to be named told The Federal that the government does not want to take any chances. “As the state government is challenging the Union government on several issues, it is not right to ‘trust’ a central agency as it may take ‘unwanted’ steps,” the minister said.

BJP’s ‘appeasement’ plank

Upset over Siddaramaiah's decision, BJP leaders allege that the Congress government is indulging in appeasement politics and trying to save the suspects in the case. Calling the blast a 'terror attack", the BJP said the suspects may have links with elements from across the border and the government should transfer the case to NIA for a thorough investigation.

R Ashok, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said, “Given the gravity of the bomb blast, a call must be made to get the case investigated by the NIA.”

“The bomb explosion…has struck fear into the hearts of the common people. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are consistent in their appeasement policies and political manoeuvring. It is adversely affecting the moral integrity of the police and the efficiency of the intelligence department,” Ashok alleged.

Does NIA need ‘permission’?

Does the NIA, a central agency, need permission from the state government to take over a probe from the police department?

An NIA official told The Federal that Section 6 of the National Investigation Act, 2008, states that the state government has to forward the report to the Union government. On receipt of the report, the Union government shall determine, within 15 days from the date of receipt of the report, whether the offence is a scheduled offence.

Additionally, the Union government will consider whether, given the gravity of the offence and other relevant factors, it is a fit case to be investigated by the NIA.

The Union government has the power to seek a takeover if it believes it’s a scheduled offence, and a fit case to be investigated by the NIA. In such a situation, the Centre shall direct the NIA to investigate it. It can also instruct the NIA to take up a suo motu case; in that case, the state must comply with the Centre’s directions.

Rameshwaram Cafe case

As things stand now, in the Bengaluru blast case, it is still the prerogative of the state government to seek an NIA investigation. It has to decide whether the case should be investigated under the NIA Act. The investigators have not yet concluded whether it involves terror links or personal vendetta.

So far, the investigation details have not reached a conclusion regarding the links of terrorists in this case, said an officer in the investigation team to The Federal. And, the Centre is yet to direct the NIA to take up the case suo motu. In case it does, the state government cannot deny it.