How a routine phone call from his mother saved an eyewitness to Rameshwaram Cafe blast

PTI, Mar 2, 2024, 8:19 PM IST

Images source: PTI

Bengaluru: A routine phone call from his mother saved a 24-year-old software engineer from the low intensity blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe here on Friday afternoon where he had gone to have lunch.

Recalling the tragedy in which 10 people including the staff and some customers were injured, Kumar Alankrit, a native of Patna in Bihar, said he grabbed his dosa from the counter and had planned to take a seat at his usual spot (where the blast took place minutes later).

At the same time, he got a call from his mother and to answer that, he went to a quiet place, which was just 10 metres away from the blast site.

Speaking to PTI videos, Alankrit recalled how his mother’s call was timely and helped him escape unhurt. “I grabbed my dosa from the pick up counter and was about to sit at my regular spot inside the cafe. Every time I visit the cafe I used to sit at this place (where the blast took place later). That is like my favourite place. Even this time I was planning to sit there but then I received a phone call from my mother, so I decided to move a few meters away outside the cafe to a quiet area so that I could speak to her,” he said.

Describing it as a routine phone call, he said, “She (my mom) was asking about my whereabouts…where I was and things…Suddenly, I heard this loud noise. I was outside. It was a huge explosion. Everyone was terrified and running outside. There was smoke everywhere and a foul smell started emanating from the place.”

The software engineer recalled how many people sustained injuries. While some had burn injuries, some were bleeding from their ears and head, he said. “It was all of a sudden. That loud explosion and people running around. Not knowing what was happening. It was terrifying and shocking. But thankfully, that phone call from my mother saved me. or I would be sitting at my favourite place, the same spot where the blast took place,” he said.

Incidentally Kumar was one of the first people to share the video of the blast at the cafe, on ‘X’. In his post, he had said, “At 1 pm, I was having Lunch at Rameshwaram Cafe Brookefield and a big blast took place inside the cafe. I was a few metres away from the blast. I am safe. Several people are heavily injured. God help them Recover soon.”

“I grabbed my Dosa from the counter and planned to sit at my usual spot. But today my Mom called me so I thought about going out to a quiet area, I moved 10m away from the place I usually sit (Bomb Site) and a blast took place, I ran outside. MOM=GOD,” he posted.