Donald Trump, former US President and Democratic presidential candidate, narrowly avoided an assassination attempt when a registered Republican opened fire on him during a recent event. Drawing parallels to an incident during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2013 election campaign, where six consecutive bomb blasts occurred, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) highlighted the dangers faced by world leaders.
Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT cell, referenced the 2013 Patna rally incident involving PM Modi, stating, “Never forget: When Narendra Modi was the prime ministerial candidate in 2013, six blasts went off during his rally in Patna. The terrorists had originally planned to assassinate PM Modi using a suicide bomber.” He condemned attacks on global leaders, emphasizing the perceived threat from international networks, saying, “The world is becoming increasingly unsafe. We’ve seen attacks on Shinzo Abe, then Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, and now Donald Trump.”
During the “Hunkar Rally” in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on October 27, 2013, where PM Modi was present, bombs exploded, resulting in six deaths and injuring 89 people. In 2021, nine terrorists were convicted for the attacks, with four receiving death sentences. Investigations revealed that the initial plan was to assassinate PM Modi with a suicide bomber, but this was changed to causing chaos and targeting him during a stampede.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which handled the case, “They decided to explode IEDs at the election rally in Patna, intending to kill many people, causing a stampede in which Modi could be targeted from close range.” The court found nine members of the banned terror outfit SIMI guilty, with sentencing scheduled for November 1.
Five convicts are serving life terms for their involvement in the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi blasts, preceding the Patna attack, while the remaining four face sentencing. The terrorists had initially planned a suicide bombing but shifted tactics due to the formidable security around PM Modi.
