‘Human bombs meant to kill Narendra Modi’: arrested IM operative

Patna: India’s opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime minister candidate Narendra Modi was the main target of bombers during the Sunday serial blasts at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan— the venue of party’s much-hyped “Hunkar rally” where thousands of people from across the Bihar state had turned up to hear the Hindu nationalist leader.

This has been revealed by a key accused in the case identified as Imtiyaz who was nabbed by the state police from a blast site.

As many as seven bombs had exploded in Patna — six in and around the rally venue and one inside the washroom of the local railway junction — killing six and wounding 83 others. All the bombs exploded at very quick intervals in and around the rally ground.

One of the four bombs defused later by the bomb disposal squad was found planted beneath the ground barely 24 metres from the dais.

During the intensive interrogation, the arrested accused reportedly told his interrogators that the entire conspiracy had been hatched by the Indian Mujahideen, an outlawed Islamist group, at Ranchi, the capital of neighbouring Jharkhand state, wherein two terrorists were involved. According to him, all the bombs had been planted on Sunday morning, just few hours before the rally was to start.

As per his story, he (Imtiyaz) and another aide were to explode themselves as “human bombs” before the dais Modi was to use at the rally after causing three separate blasts in the restricted areas near the dais through remote control system but the entire plan got messed up as the bomb which they were fitting with battery and timer suddenly went off.

They were fitting the bombs inside a public toilet near platform no 10 of the Patna railway junction when it suddenly exploded in which one of the suspected terrorists was severely wounded and later succumbed to his injuries at a government hospital late last night. The blast caused alarm in the areas and in the subsequent operation, the main accused was nabbed by the police while he was trying to flee the scene.

Imtiyaz also revealed that he along with the victim had reached Patna early on Sunday morning by bus and had hurriedly got into action. He also told the police that the bomb which exploded at the railway station was, in fact, meant to be fitted at the rally ground but accidentally went off due to connection errors which spoiled their plans.

According to him, they had carried all the bombs in a bag and the bombs were fitted in and around the rally ground by some six-eight persons. On the basis of information provided by the accused, the police later conducted raids inside an apartment in Ranchi and seized huge amount of materials used to manufacture bombs, biography of Osama Bin Laden, heavy amount of cash and other incriminating documents.

“The entire plan has been revealed now with the arrest of the key accused in the case. The main motive for the bombings was to create panic and cause a stampede but they did not succeed in their mission,” Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Majaraj told the media on Monday, adding the arrested man had confessed his involvement in the bombing which, according to the accused, was ordered by the IM.

More than 24 hours after the blasts, panic still grips the state capital as the police have sealed the Gandhi Maidan and are conducting a massive search to find bombs fitted beneath the ground, if any.

The problem for the state administration is that another mega rally of a prominent Left party, Communist Party of India—Marxist-Lennists, nicknamed “Kabardar Rally” (or a rally to serve warning), was scheduled at the same venue on October 30. The rally has been organised to protest against the recent acquittal by the Patna High Court of all the 26 accused who were allegedly involved in the killing of 58 Dalit villagers in Laxmanpur-Bathe massacre 16 years back.

Meanwhile, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with the senior police and administrative officials in the state and reviewed the law and order situation in the state.

Kumar asked the officials to hold talks with the district police chief as well as district magistrates and alert them about the prevailing situation in the state.

The state administration has also sounded an alert across the state while Nalanda, the home district of the chief minister, has been put on extra alert in view of the ongoing two-day executive committee meet of the ruling Janata Dal (United) which began on Monday. The meet was inaugurated by the national party chief Sharad Yadav. Kumar too was to take part in the meeting.