Patna: A day after a parcel bomb exploded at the residence of a ruling Janata Dal-United leader, killing his bodyguard and badly wounding one of his close aides, panic gripped politicians in Bihar.
The ‘parcel bomb’ sent to the residence of Gaya district JD-U chief Abhay Kushwaha exploded while being opened by his staff.
This was the first time in Bihar that a ‘parcel bomb’ was used to target a politician, although he luckily escaped the attack as he was away from home.
Many leaders were said to be refusing to personally unwrap ‘parcels’, big letters or smartly-packed gifts being sent to their homes. Rather they are handling them with much caution.
Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, considered ahead in the race for chief ministership within the Bharatiya Janata Party, said the development had really appalled the political class and he had asked his personal staff to be careful while receiving and handling such parcels and objects.
“Today, it is a parcel bomb, tomorrow it could be a letter bomb or any other IED [Improvised Explosive Device],” Modi told journalists on Wednesday, seeking a high-level inquiry into the incident.
He said chief minister Nitish Kumar was fast losing grip over the state’s administration as he was busy with political manoeuvring in a bid to stay in power.
Kushwaha’s wife, Anjali Bharti, said there was an apparent conspiracy to kill her husband but he luckily survived.
“The ‘parcel’ had been secretly placed in my home,” Bharti said.
“Our staff were opening the parcel when it exploded. My husband’s bodyguard was killed in the incident.”
Police said the packet had a computerised address with “Enayat Khan, Patna” mentioned as the sender’s address. Authorities are investigating the incident.
“Prima facie, this appears to be a criminal incident. Maoists were not involved in it. We are thoroughly investigating the matter,” Bihar’s additional director-general of police Sunil Kumar said.
