5 dead, 66 injured as blasts mar Narendra Modi rally

Patna: Five people were killed and 66 injured in eight bomb blasts on the day of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s massive rally in Patna today. Three suspects were held in connections with the blast. Meanwhile, three of the five dead were identified as - Ramnarayan Singh of Patna, Vikas Singh from Kaimur and Munna Singh from Mirganj. Thousands of people had gathered at Gandhi maidan in Patna to hear Modi speak for the first time in the state in over a decade when the blasts took place. Five people died from blast injuries and 66 others were being treated for these injuries, according to Vimal Karak, Deputy Superintendent of Patna Medical College Hospital. Eight blasts occurred on the outer periphery of the Gandhi Maidan where the rally was held, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami told PTI in Delhi. The first blast took place hours before the rally. A crude bomb went off in a newly constructed toilet at the Patna railway station early this morning around two kilometres from the venue of the BJP’s much publicised ‘Hunkar rally’. [caption id=“attachment_1197307” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A policeman collects evidence from the spot of a bomb blast. AP[/caption] Immediately after the explosion at the railway station, bomb disposal swept the area and recovered two more crude bombs, Railway Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sinha said. One security personnel was injured while defusing a bomb recovered from the toilet, he said. Here are the details of blasts so far as given by Bihar DGP Abhayanand: 9.30 am — Patna station, platform no.10(washroom) 11.40 am — Gandhi Maidan near Udyog Bhawan 12.05 pm — Regent Cinema 12.10 pm — Old Gandhi statue 12.15 pm — Twin Tower 12.20 pm — SBI office 12.45 pm — Children’s park People were seen rushing the injured to the hospital as the explosions sparked panic. At the rally, plumes of smoke billowed from a couple of sites even as BJP leaders, including Modi, addressed the crowd. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. He spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to speedily probe the blasts and ensure that perpetrators are punished. “The Prime Minister has condemned the blasts in Patna and called for urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible,” a PMO statement said. The Home Ministry sought a report from the Bihar government on the explosions and has sent teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) to the state. “I can’t say whether it was a terror attack or political conspiracy. Only after the investigation, we will be able to tell anything,” Union Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said. Modi later said he was saddened at the blasts. “Blasts in Patna are deeply saddening and unfortunate,” he said. “Condolences with families of deceased and prayers with injured. I appeal for peace and calm,” the Gujarat Chief Minister said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called the blasts a gross failure of intelligence. “I strongly condemn the serial blasts on occasion of the BJP rally in Patna. This is a gross intelligence failure,” she tweeted after the incident. Expressing surprise over the “coincidence” of bomb blasts and Narendra Modi‘s rally in Patna, Congress today called for a thorough probe into the issue noting that it could otherwise create a “perfect setting for Modi’s launch in Bihar”. “Another blast in Patna! Strongly condemn this. Nitish should find the culprit otherwise a perfect setting for Modi’s launch in Bihar!” party general secretary Digvijaya Singh tweeted. Condemning the serial blasts in Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said that the investigating agencies will get to the root of the blasts and bring the guilty to book. “I strongly condemn the serial blasts in Patna. A total of 83 people went to the Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Out of them 38 were admitted. Even police personnel were injured. Blasts took place at several places apart from Gandhi Maidan,” Kumar told at a press conference in Patna. Announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the dead, the Bihar chief minister ruled out any kind of “political conspiracy”. “We may have political differences but who will cause serial blasts for that. Bihar does not have such a tradition. It seems to be a pre-planned attack on the day of (Narendra) Modi’s rally. We should give some time to the police to finish their investigation,” he said. Denying that there has been lapses in security, the chief minister said, “I want to tell the BJP that there has been no attempt by the state government to not secure the place. All required steps for security were taken. The blasts are an attempt to disrupt law and order situation in Bihar. The guilty should be severely punished. The conspiracy if any will come out. We have sought NIA’s help to get to the root of the blasts.” “There was no intelligence report regarding these blasts. I assure everyone that no effort will be spared to solve the case,” he said. Kumar also said that one person who was suspiciously running away from the Patna railway station has been nabbed by police and his interrogation was on. The chief minister expressed concern over the selection of the day. “Selection of today’s date is questionable. The timing of the blasts is very important and very worrying. On Friday, as suspicious suitcase was found in Gandhi Maidan and I had asked the police to step up the security.” Kumar. The Chief Minister, however, refused to guess who could be behind the blasts and appealed for calm. “I appeal everyone to maintain calm and peace. An appeal was also made from the dais and that is commendable,” the chief minister said. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde condemned the blasts and said that NIA and NSG teams have been rushed to the sites, but refused to comment when asked if it was a terror strike. He also said that the NIA teams at Bodh Gaya, the site of blasts recently, too were being sent to Patna.   Correction: We regret putting up an earlier update where we mentioned the three deceased as suspects because of an erroneous report.    With PTI inputs