Bomb squad leaves for Patna,IB to declare ‘high alert’ for all Modi events

The team will aide the investigators and forensic experts in Bihar who are investigating the case. The Gujarat Bomb Disposal Squad team had diffused 21 live bombs in Surat during the 2008 July serial blasts.

The sources said that in a special meeting held after the Patna blast,CIB has asked the Gujarat team to remain alert and work ahead of the scheduled rallies,events and public gatherings of Modi.

A source said,“The CIB top officials have decided to declare all events of Modi as ‘high alert’. This would require all CIB units to synchronise and inform respective state heads and police heads about his movements and ensure security is provided according to the perceived threat. If the events are on high alert,the amount of security provided in terms of manpower and grade of security differs from the security set up during political rallies and events otherwise. Therefore,now the security set up of each of Modi’s event would be discussed with the respective governments and planned in advance.”

The Gujarat unit of CIB had reportedly informed the state police about the alleged threat to Modi’s Patna rally several days in advance. The Gujarat Police had also issued an official release a day earlier informing that a state police team had visited Bihar on October 8 to alert their counterpart in Bihar. In addition to that,a team led by a DIG had visited Bihar on October 24 to review the security but Bihar police had not responded to the team.

Gujarat DGP Pramod Kumar had spoken to additional DGP (special branch) on October 26 on phone and also sent a written communication. At last,the state police sent a team with CID (intelligence) chief (in-charge) Shivanand Jha to Patna with a separate team led by a DIG to ask Bihar Police to provide foolproof security.

According to Gujarat Police,the CIB had alerted about terror attack on Patna rally more than two weeks before the event. Moreover,advanced security liasoning (ASL) that is prepared before any event by police giving details of security set up was not prepared by Bihar Police till the day of event. The state police said that when Bihar Police was asked to share the ASL,initially they had refused and later showed an unsigned ASL to Gujarat Police.