Low-intensity blast at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s function; One held

Police have arrested the suspect who detonated a low-intensity blast at chief minister Nitish Kumar’s function in Nalanda and said the interrogation is on. This is the second breach in the CM’s security in less than a month.

PATNA: In a second breach in Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s security in less than a month, a youngster detonated a low-intensity blast barely 20 feet from the stage from where the CM was meeting around 250 people at Silao in his home district Nalanda on Tuesday, police said.

The blast occurred barely 20 feet from the stage from where Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was meeting around 250 people at Silao in his home district Nalanda. (PTI)

Police have arrested the suspect, identified as Subham Aditya, 22, a resident of village Satyarganj under Islampur block. The interrogation of the suspect is on, while the CM continued with his pre-scheduled programme. A senior police official said that the forensic team will establish the nature of explosive used in the blast. Patna central range IG Rakesh Rathi said the youngster used Diwali cracker not bomb.

There was no report of any injuries. Preliminary reports said that the blast took place behind the stage from where the CM was receiving applications/grievances from people.

On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar had first gone to Pawapuri and he was to go to Rajghat via Silao from there. The incident happened at Silao Gandhi High School. People on the well-decorated stage could only hear the sound of the blast. There was commotion there due to the sound.

“How could a stranger get close to the stage is a matter of investigation,” said a police officer, wishing not to be quoted, adding an investigation will throw light on the modus operandi.

The incident happened when the Bihar police claimed to have prepared a blueprint to tighten Nitish Kumar’s security in the wake of attack on him by a youngster, who breached the security cordon to reach up to him on March 27.

The blueprint was presented at a high-level meeting of the home department in Patna where every point of the security arrangement was discussed. Bacchu Singh Meena, ADG (security), also issued guidelines to every district magistrate and SP of the state to make the arrangement every time the chief minister visited the district in accordance with the recommendation of the Verma committee of 1991.