Patna's Gandhi maidan thrown open for public

PATNA: A week after serial bomb blasts, Gandhi Maidan, which was the venue of the public meeting of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, has been thrown open for the public.

Patna District Magistrate N Shrwan Kumar said today that Gandhi Maidan, which had been sealed for searching explosives, has now been opened for public since yesterday.

The decision to open the gates of Gandhi maidan for citizens has been taken after getting clearance from Patna police and para-military force CRPF which conducted intensive search in the field on the day of blasts on October 27 and also subsequent days, the DM said.

"But security personnel will keep an eye over the field to prevent any future untoward incident," the DM said.

After five low intensity bombs exploded in the Gandhi maidan during rally of Narendra Modi on October 27, four live bombs were recovered from the same venue later after end of the Hoonkar rally.

In subsequent days, five more live bombs were found inside the maidan during search operation by Patna police and CRPF.

The historic Gandhi Maidan where Narendra Modi addressed "Hoonkar rally" has seen several important rallies in the past, including that of Jaiprakash Narayan, Subhash Chandra Bose and Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Director of Gandhi Sangrahlay Razi Ahmed, who has authored a book "Tragedy of Indian Sub-continent: Power, communalism and partition", quoting from his book has said that Mohammad Ali Jinnah had chosen the same Gandhi Maidan to revive his fledgling Muslim League in 1938.

The field which was earlier known as Bankipore Maidan was named after Mahatma Gandhi after his assassination.

Subhash Chandra Bose had organised an important meeting of his Forward block at the ground in 1939, a year after its formation.

In 1974, Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan had launched his "sampoorna kranti" (total revolution) from the same Gandhi Maidan to oust Congress from power.