By Shankar Raj*
Bengaluru: The IT city, already reeling under floods, was rattled today with a mysterious boom at around 12.15 pm. Seconds later, social media had a ‘blast’ with users sharing their experience and triggering their own theories.
“Just now heard a loud explosion sound in Bengaluru, then doors and windows vibrated. I felt this in Rajarajeshwari Nagara,” a social media user said.
“Loud sound heard again in various parts of Bengaluru along with rattling of windows. What happened this time? Sonic boom? Earthquake? Quarry blast?” tweeted a journalist.
There has been no explanation behind the boom so far. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre ruled out any seismic activity that could have caused the loud sound and slight tremors.
This is not the first time that a boom has rattled the city. In July this year, residents in several areas said that they heard a loud ‘thud’ and a ‘boom’ sound. Some residents even said that their windows were rattled by the sound.
At that time speculations were rife that loud sound could have been a ‘sonic boom’ generated by a fighter jet flying over the city. But neither the police nor Air Force offered an explanation at the time. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had said that none of its flights made the noise.
A similar ‘boom’ was heard in Bengaluru in May last year. The Indian Air Force later confirmed that it was made by a Sukhoi 30.
*Shankar Raj is former Editor of The New Indian Express, Karnataka and Kerala, and writes regularly on current affairs. The views expressed are personal.
