16 injured in explosion in southern India

NEW DELHI - At least 16 people were injured in an explosion near India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's office in the southern state of Karnataka's capital Bengaluru Wednesday, a senior police official said.

"The explosion shook the office of the party, in power in Karnataka, in Malleshwaram area. Half of the injured were policemen deployed in the area. All those hurt have been admitted to a local hospital where the condition of some are said to be serious. Several vehicles have been damaged in the explosion," he said, on condition of anonymity.

Though the exact cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, the police have ruled out any terror angle. "This was an explosion. Investigations have begun. It is an explosion. There was a motorcycle next to the van. It seems to be an incendiary bomb which was placed on the motorcycle," Bengaluru Police chief Raghavendra H. Auradkar told the media.

Meanwhile, a forensic team and sleuths from the newly formed National Investigative Authority have rushed to the spot.

The explosion came just days before the state is to go for assembly polls slated for May 5.