Patna serial blasts: Five killed, 83 injured as IM targets Modi's Hunkar rally, police detains 4 suspects.

Five persons were killed and more than 80 injured when a series of blasts rocked Patna shortly before the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was to address his party's much-awaited Hunkar rally on Sunday.

The first explosion occurred around 9.30 am inside a washroom on platform no. 10 towards the Karbigahiya end of Patna Junction. This was followed by six more blasts in succession in and outside the Gandhi Maidan, the rally's venue.

Bihar's Director General of Police Abhayanand said that altogether five persons were killed and 83 others injured in the seven blasts apparently triggered by low-intensity improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The police also recovered four live bombs, which were defused later. One of the dead persons was yet to be identified.

Timing 

The first of the six blasts near the Gandhi Maidan took place near Udyog Bhawan at 11.40 am followed by another explosion 25 minutes later near Regent Cinema outside the boundary of the rally venue.

Two more blasts occurred in quick succession near the old Gandhi statue and Twin tower within the ground at 12.10 pm and 12.15 pm respectively. The last two bombs exploded outside the ground near SBI main office and the children's park at 12.20 pm and 12.45 pm. There was, however, no blast after Modi rose to speak around 1.30 pm.

The serial blasts created panic at the ground and tens of thousands of people gathered there started running helter-skelter. The DGP said a team of the National Investigation Agency had reached Patna to investigate the matter. He also claimed the state police had followed the mandatory security procedure before the rally.

"The police have also arrested a suspect who is believed to have been injured while planting the bomb (at the railway station)," he said. The police later said four persons had been detained.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the timing and day chosen for the explosions indicated a deliberate plot to vitiate the atmosphere. He, however, denied that there was any lapse on part of the state police. "There was no security input about the blasts either from the central agencies or the state agencies," he said.

Nitish also refused to guess as to who was behind the attack. "It will be too early to come to any conclusion. Let the investigating agencies probe the matter first."

The CM, who announced an ex gratia of Rs.5 lakh each for the next of kin of those dead, said he had cancelled his scheduled visit to Munger and Rajgir in the wake of the tragedy. He said the injured people were being treated at various hospitals.

Denying the possibility of a political conspiracy, Nitish said the motive of the explosions was obviously to create disturbances in the country. He said Bihar did not have the history of such incidents during political rallies. "This incident is a blot on the state record in this regard. The conspiracy behind the blasts will be revealed soon," he said. "Regardless of the political differences, we need to stay united to foil the designs of divisive forces," he added.

Cops detain 4 as NIA & NSG teams reach Patna

The Union home ministry swung into action and dispatched teams of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Patna after the blasts while the Jharkhand Police conducted raids at different places in Ranchi after it emerged that the accused in Patna serial bomb blasts were from the state.

Four people were detained in Patna, the Bihar Police said, adding that one of them, caught fleeing from the blast at the railway station, appeared to be the prime suspect. Some documents and a list of telephone numbers were recovered from him.

Black powder was recovered during the raid conducted late Sunday evening at a place at Dhurva in Ranchi, senior superintendent of police Saket Kumar Singh said.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said the NIA and NSG teams had been rushed to Patna to probe the blast sequence. The Centre assured full cooperation to the state government. "We are in constant touch with the authorities, who are updating us on the situation," Singh said. He claimed that there was no specific intelligence input about the blasts in Patna.

Bomb planted at railway station to mislead cops

Conspirators behind the serial explosions appeared to have hoodwinked the Bihar Police by planting a bomb at the railway station ahead of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's rally at Gandhi Maidan on Sunday.

The bomb planted inside a station toilet exploded around 9.30 am, more than two hours before the next bomb went off at the rally venue. Five more blasts occurred in an hour on the premises of Gandhi Maidan.

Investigators are probing if the bomb was kept at the railway station to divert the attention of top Bihar Police officers who were busy monitoring security arrangements for the BJP rally.

Senior police officers had reached Patna Junction with experts from the forensic science laboratory, a bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs soon after the first blast at the rally venue was reported.

There are apprehensions among police officers that the terror suspects, who are believed to have carried out the operation, might have sneaked into Gandhi Maidan and mingled with the crowd when senior police officers were busy monitoring the situation at Patna Junction.

Patna SSP Manu Maharaj, meanwhile, said the arrested person had confessed to his involvement in the blasts. Preliminary investigation hinted that the attacks might have been carried by Indian Mujahideen.

The police said the arrested person is a relative of a top IM operative who has been absconding.