Bengaluru, October 21: A suspected blast at a house under construction in the Pulikeshi Nagar area of Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon left two people injured, ANI reported. City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told a press conference on Wednesday that the cause of the incident was yet to be established and investigators were examining all possibilities, including the involvement of an improvised explosive device (IED). Police received information about the incident on Tuesday evening and began their investigation after receiving a medico-legal case report from the hospital.

Sharing the preliminary findings, Singh said the structure of the house was complete and interior work was underway, while a few families were already staying in other completed houses. "Two people were present. One was a worker, and the other was the building's security guard. Both were injured," he said. According to the Commissioner, one of the injured men said he had pressed a button on a battery-operated object, which he described as a battery torch, and a blast followed. One injured person is still admitted to hospital, while the other has been discharged.

Singh said the Anti-Terrorism Cell, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams visited the spot on Tuesday night, and that he visited the site himself. Asked whether the incident involved an IED, he said: "We cannot say that right now. We cannot confirm it at this stage. As of now, I would like to assure everyone that there is nothing to panic about." He said neither injured man is from Bengaluru, their antecedents were being checked with police in their home states, and the two were giving contradictory statements that teams were verifying.

Minister Kharge said earlier in the day that the injuries were minor, with one person reportedly suffering burns, and that a suo motu case had been registered. "Whether it was a chemical reaction, whether there was an improvised explosive device (IED), or whatever it may be, we are investigating. Let the forensic report come," he said, adding that all materials had gone for a forensic audit and rumours should not be paid attention to until then.

India Today reported a differing sequence, saying the injured workers, identified as Suraj and Alauddin, found a suspicious abandoned bag on the road, carried it to the fourth floor of the six-storey building, and were injured when it exploded on being opened, with one worker losing a finger; it said investigators recovered batteries and wires from the spot and sent the materials to the FSL. Police have not confirmed that account or the IED claim, and the forensic findings are expected to establish what the object was.

Sources: ANI via LatestLY and Desi Talk (statements of Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh and Minister Kharge, October 21, 2026); India Today reporting via News89, October 21, 2026.