DHAKA: At least five people were killed and 24 injured when a series of blasts rocked Patna ahead of BJP’s Hunkar rally on Sunday.

Bihar DGP GP Abhyanand has confirmed 8 explosions. Most of the blasts occurred in and around the Gandhi Maidan.

People were seen rushing the injured to the hospital as the explosions sparked panic, reports The Times of India.

Six persons were injured in a blast before the Eliphistine cinema hall on the western side of the rally venue, police sources said.

Hours before that, a bomb exploded in a newly constructed toilet at the Patna railway station, two kilometers from the BJP’s ‘Hunkar rally’ venue, injuring one person.

Immediately after the explosion, bomb disposal swept the area and discovered 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.

At the rally, plumes of smoke billowed from a couple of sites even as BJP leaders, including its prime ministerial candidate Modi, addressed the crowd.

India’s 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 home ministry has sought a report from the Bihar government on the explosions and is sending teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) to the state.

‘We are in regular touch with authorities in Bihar and have offered them all necessary assistance. We are trying to get more information,’ minister of state for home RPN Singh said in Delhi, adding the Centre was ready to provide additional forces to maintain law and order.

BDST: 1619 HRS, OCT 27, 2013
RoR/RK