Exactly eight years after ‘Indian Mujahideen’ terrorists made a failed attempt to assassinate BJP’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi during the Patna rally on October 27 2013, a special court of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Patna convicted nine out of 10 accused today (October 27, 2021), while one accused was acquitted in the absence of evidence. Six people were killed and over 90 were injured in serial blasts that rocked Bihar's capital. The explosions had taken place at the venue of then Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's "Hunkar" rally. 

Two bombs had gone off at around 12.25 PM, just 20 minutes before then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders such as Rajnath Singh and late Arun Jaitley took the stage. The explosions occurred a mere 150 metres from the platform where PM Modi was to deliver his speech. Later, four more live bombs were discovered near the rally venue. However, Modi had refused to cower down and had decided to go ahead with the rally and address the rally attended by a three-plus lakh pulsating crowd. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the NIA Court on November 1. 

According to reports, the judge Gurwinder Singh Malhotra heading the NIA court convicted Haider Ali alias Black Beauty, Noman Ansari, Mohammed Mujibullah Ansari, Mohammed Imtiaz Alam, Ahmed Hussain, Mohammed Firoze Aslam, Imtiaz Ansari, Mohammed Iftiqar Alam and Azharuddin Qureshi of the banned terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM). One Fakruddin was not convicted due to a lack of evidence. The court posted the case for hearing on November 1 when the quantum of punishment will be pronounced.

Smoke billowing of Gandhi Maidan ground in Patna following the terror attack. Image source Business Standard

One more powerful explosion had taken place inside a toilet of platform number 10 of Patna railway station, leading to the death of a key suspect 25 years old Tariq Ansari alias Enul. The deceased was among many recruits of Indian Mujahideen who had travelled from Ranchi to Patna along with explosives to eliminate Modi. Even a minor boy from Ranchi who was aged around 15 years six months and three days on the day of the occurrence, had accompanied them. This minor accused was punished with three years of imprisonment in 2017 by a Juvenile Justice Board. A child bomber in terror matrix had left security agencies worried since two decades after the Mumbai blast a minor was found involved in alleged terrorist activities.

On November 6, 2013, the Lucknow branch of the NIA took over the investigation. The probe revealed Indian Muhaideen had set up its modules in Ranchi.

Convict Haider Ali is a native of Aurangabad district of Bihar but he is settled in Ranchi. His associate was Tahseen Akhtar alias Monu of Samastipur in Bihar. Both had recruited Mujibullah Ansari, Imtiaz Alam, Noman Ansari and others of Sithio village of Ranchi which was known as the Sithio module. The presence of other modules of Indian Muhaideen was also found.

After the blasts, all of a sudden the spotlight turned on Ranchi being the hub of bugs of Indian Mujahideen. Nevertheless, security agencies had red-flagged in advance about Ranchi and other districts of Jharkhand turning into recruitment ground of terror outfits. NIA raids recovered as many as 18 live bombs, six timers, over 20 detonators and others from the paddy fields in Sithio. Similarly, nine bombs fitted with timers were found from a room in a private students’ hostel, Iram Lodge located in minority populated Hindpiri locality in Ranchi. Watches of Lotus Company were found from the possession of the accused and it was no coincidence that even July 2013 Bodhgaya blast case, Lotus company watches were used for the timer.

Investigation revealed that the Bodhgaya blast was executed by the same group. Patna blast probably remained one of the complicated cases the NIA investigated so far. It got interlined with Bodhgaya and the nationwide terror module of Indian Mujahideen.

References:

navbharattimes.indiatimes.com - Abhishek Kumar
thehindu.com - by Amarnath Tewary
republicworld.com - By Ananya Varma
opindia.com - OpIndia Staff