A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team inspected the site near Mysuru Palace where a gas cylinder blast on December 25, 2025, killed balloon vendor Saleem (40) from Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district instantly and injured six others amid heavy Christmas crowds. The explosion, occurring around 8:30 pm at the busy Jayamarthanda Gate during a flower show and musical event, ripped apart Saleem’s bicycle and scattered debris, with the vendor reportedly mixing caustic soda and water with aluminum to generate hydrogen gas for balloons, triggering a violent reaction. Tragically, two injured women—Manjula (38), a Nanjangud flower vendor, and Lakshmi (45-49), a Bengaluru tourist—succumbed on December 26 at KR Hospital, raising the death toll to three, while KSRTC employee Kotresh and others like Ranjitha recover under government-funded care. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara highlighted absent regulations for tourist-area vendors, urging stricter oversight to safeguard public safety at heritage sites, as NIA questions Saleem’s associates and probes all angles amid forensic analysis.