Six Karnataka policemen suspended after gelatin sticks found on PM Modi's convoy route in Bengaluru

Bengaluru : In a major development concerning VVIP security, six Karnataka police personnel have been suspended following the recovery of explosive materials near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s designated route on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The security breach occurred on May 10, just hours before the Prime Minister's scheduled arrival at a prominent spiritual centre. During a routine sweeping and sanitization operation, an alert police constable spotted a suspicious carton box abandoned near a footpath. Upon inspection, the box was found to contain two gelatin sticks, a real-time clock, an LCD display, and a defunct circuit timer setup. The location was approximately two to three kilometers away from the main event venue near Kanakapura Road.

The suspension order was issued by Bengaluru South District Superintendent of Police, R. Srinivas Gowda, on grounds of dereliction of duty and severe negligence in maintaining standard security protocols. Those placed under suspension pending a full inquiry include a police sub-inspector from Sathanur, an assistant sub-inspector from Kaggalipura, and four constables who were actively deployed for the route's security arrangement.

While forensic reports later indicated that the gelatin sticks were nearly three years old and lacked a functioning detonator—concluding there was no immediate threat of an explosion—the presence of such materials on a Prime Ministerial route has triggered a massive security scare. Central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), have joined local police teams to track the source of the cache.

The incident has also sparked a fierce political row, with opposition leaders slamming the state government over an alleged collapse of law and order in the capital city.