Cooker bomb explosion: A year on, injured auto driver still awaits compensation

Cooker bomb explosion: A year on, injured auto driver still awaits compensation

mangaloretoday.com

Mangaluru, Nov 18, 2023: On November 19, Sunday, it would be a year since the cooker bomb explosion took place in the city. The incident wherein a cooker bomb exploded in a moving autorickshaw near Nagori had resulted in grievous injuries to both the autorickshaw driver and the passenger, a terror suspect who is now in the custody of NIA.

 

The injured autorickshaw driver Purushotham Poojary who had to remain in hospital for over 100 days is still unable to drive the autorickshaw and is on medication. He says he cannot lift heavy objects due to the burn injuries that he had suffered.

Though MLA Vedavyas Kamath has provided him an autorickshaw and an aid of Rs 3 lakhs, the government compensation is yet to reach his hands. The only income for him now is by letting his autorickshaw for driving by another driver. The Guru Beladingalu Foundation had got his house renovated and Purushotham had got his daughter married off after his discharge from the hospital.

He feels he may need another year to fully recuperate.

On the other hand the terror suspect Mohammad Shariq who too was seriously injured in the cooker bomb explosion, had prepared the cooker bomb at his house at Mysuru and reportedly had intended to execute his plans near the Kadri Temple.

On November 19, 2022 he had arrived by a bus and had alighted at Padil from where he had boarded Purushotham’s autorickshaw asking to drop him at Pumpwell.

But the cooker bomb had exploded even before the auto reached Pumpwell.

After Shariq recovered he was taken by the NIA to Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Arafat Ali said to be the mastermind was arrested while he arrived from abroad.