Revealed: Narendra Modi was SIMI's target during Patna rally

Updated: Wednesday, September 10, 2014, 15:33 [IST]

Patna, Sept 10: The Patna rally blast missed its actual target by an inch. In a shocking revelation by the NIA chargesheet, it is said that a video was found motivating the group of jihadis who carried out the blast in 2013. SIMI had actually planned to assasinate Narendra Modi, but had later changed plans and staged the blast.

It was also revealed that the jihadis were motivated by showing them the 9/11 attack in a guest house in Barnawapara forest in Raipur. The video was seized from the laptop of one Haider Ali who was part of the attack. Revealing the itinerary of that day, Ali also said that they had carried the bombs in a bus, just a day before Modi's rally.

As per the chargesheet,"they started from Ranchi late on the evening of October 26, 2013 by Aditya Vijay bus service and reached Patna in the early hours of October 27, 2013. All of them deboarded the bus near Patna junction railway station. From there, the group divided itself into pairs... Since Imtiyaz Ansari and Tariq Alam were sporting beard so it was decided by the group that they will plant the bombs somewhere between Patna junction railway station and Jakkanpur police station, which was a crowded place.."

Incidentally, Ali said that the planning was done since 2011.

According to the chargesheet (as shown) in IndiaTv News, a plan was made by Haider and Umer Siddiqui (both arrested). They also felt that the leaders of the BJP were responsible for the riots in Muzzafarnagar last year. For this purpose, initially one person was motivated to become a suicide bomber by Haider and Umer."

It further said,"Haider then decided to conduct recee of the election rally to be held at Ambikapur in Chattisgarh on September 7, 2013. He again discussed the plan of attacking Modi with the person who was motivated by them but he refused. Thereafter, Haider asked Umer to prepare two persons including accused Azharuddin Qureshi for the task of attacking Modi. Haider also prepared a suicide jacket packed with explosives to be used for attacking Modi. However, the same was not found to be suitable and the idea was dropped."