The assassination attempt on US Presidential nominee Donald Trump brings back horrific memories of 2013 when Narendra Modi, then Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 election, was on target of Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) terrorists at a public rally in Patna in Bihar.
Bombs were going off even as Modi was on the stage at the ‘Hunkar Rally’ in Patna’s famous Gandhi Maidan on October 27, 2013. Six people were killed in the attacks, and nine terrorists were convicted in 2021, with four of them being sentenced to death. Six blasts took place at the rally between 11.40 pm and 12.45 pm that day. The details that came out in the charge sheet and the trial were shocking — the terrorists had originally planned to assassinate Modi using a suicide bomber but later decided to explode bombs at the venue to try get close to Modi and target him.
The investigation by NIA revealed that the accused had conspired to target the election rallies of Modi and had conducted recces of various places in the country where Modi’s rallies had been held. The accused on observing the security arrangements concluded that it was almost impossible to attack Modi with firearms, the NIA said in its charge sheet. “They therefore decided to explode IEDs in the election rally of Modi (in Patna), with an intention to kill a large number of common people which would lead to a stampede and in the ensuing melee Modi could easily targeted from a close range,” the NIA said in its charge sheet.
The Suicide Bomber Plan was Aborted
The NIA said initially one person was motivated to become a suicide bomber and a suicide jacket packed with explosives was also prepared to be used to attack Modi. A test blast was also done by the accused by fastening the said jacket on a tree and exploding it with a remote control switch.
But considering the security cover provided to Modi as observed by the accused at an earlier rally of Modi in Chhattisgarh on September 7, 2013, the accused thought it would not be possible to target him as planned. The person motivated for the purpose also refused to participate in the planned attack.
The accused then attended and conducted reconnaissance of the election rallies of Modi in Delhi and Kanpur on October 2, 2013 and October 19, 2013 and later collected materials like gun-powder, pipes, gelatin rods and detonator to prepare bombs. Bombs were then placed by the accused both on the northern side and southern side of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna before Modi’s rally, after a recce of the ground was done and preparatory sketches and maps were made. Fortunately, Modi emerged unscathed from the attack.
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