Mangaluru blast: Eyewitnesses thought it was an accident, helped driver, accused

Eyewitnesses recalled the auto-driver was trying to pull the passenger out of his vehicle. “Skin in many parts of his body was dangling as the youth (the suspect) ran out after being pulled out of the auto,” recalled Wilson, a security guard in a building at Garodi in Mangaluru where the blast occurred. When he rushed to the spot, the passenger’s (terror accused) face was on fire and an earphone was seen glued to his body (due the fire). The auto-driver had burns in his head and back, but he appeared relatively better than the youth, he said.

A team of officials from NIA Delhi at the spot where the explosion occurred. (Express photo by Jithendra M.)

Dhanraj Shetty, who resides nearby, was among those who tried to douse the flames with water. “But we were advised not to do so by others and we threw sand and mud at the passenger as his clothes were on fire,” he said.

Shetty said that the accused had injuries all over his body and his leg appeared broken. People got suspicious about the cause of the explosion only after they saw the pressure cooker in the back seat of the autorickshaw. “The youth was in a bad shape,” Mustafa, a shopkeeper in a nearby chicken stall, said, adding the fingers on his hand were shattered and his left eye was damaged.

Smoke rises (on extreme right) after an autorickshaw on a street, as seen from a CCTV camera from a nearby area, in Mangaluru city. (PTI)

“Many of us rushed to their help. We stopped two autorickshaws passing by and sent them to Father Mullers Hospital. We realised the gravity of the situation only after a few hours when authorities said that it was a bomb blast,” he said.

‘Auto driver injured in bid to save passenger’

A devotee of Swami Koragajja, considered to be a form of Lord Shiva, Purushotham was known among his friends as a good person.

Lokesh, a fellow auto driver, said the 60-year-old picked up the suspect near Padil in Mangaluru for a drop about three kilometres away at Pumpwell. Lokesh said Purushottham had suffered a cardiac issue recently. “It’s unfortunate that he is part of such a major case now. Purushotham will now have to invest his time appearing in front of investigating officers and courts till the case is sorted,” Lokesh said while noting that it meant Purushotham would lose livelihood for several days.

Purushotham has two daughters — Megha and Vinya. While the eldest works as an accountant at a private hospital near Mangaluru, his youngest daughter is pursuing her studies to clear the chartered accountant exams.

Though none of his immediate family members was willing to comment on the matter, Uday, a distant relative, said, “Most of his injuries happened while trying to help the passenger, whom he thought was an innocent person travelling in his vehicle.” Uday said that Purushottham had feared that the gas tank of his auto exploded. “He told the same to his friends whom he met immediately after the blast,” Uday recalled.

“It’s only because of his faith in god that the bomb was not powerful. Or else, he and the terror suspect would have been killed,” Uday added.