Ranam blast case: Constable suspended

Bengaluru: A constable attached to Vidyaranyapura police station has been suspended for dereliction of duty with regard to the cylinder blast during a film shooting that killed two people two months ago.

The incident happened on March 29 in Bagalur Industrial Area, when the two victims, Sameera Banu (28) and her daughter Ayesha Banu (8), had gone to watch the shooting of the movie Ranam.

Following the incident, DCP North-East Kala Krishnaswamy had ordered an inquiry and based on the report Constable Bheema Shankar was suspended.

It is gathered that though Bheema Shankar knew that the film crew had taken no permission for the shoot he did nothing to prevent it, nor did he report the matter to his superiors. It was also alleged that the constable had taken bribe from the movie crew to provide security on his own and was at the spot during the shoot. The police have, however, not confirmed this angle.

It may be recalled that the police had arrested Ranam producer Kanakpura Srinivas and stunt master Subhash K. The blast happened while shooting a car blast. The debris hit a family of four. While Sumera and Ayesha died on the spot, Sumera’s husband and her another child got injured. The investigation also revealed that the film crew had taken no precautionary measures.