Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, September 22
As the incident of serial bomb blasts at Patna junction and Gandhi Maidan approaches ten years, an eye witness to the explosions, Dharmnath Rai, a porter at Patna railway station has been extended security cover.
During the rally of the then BJP sponsored PM designate candidate, Narendra Modi, explosions took place in Patna killing nine and injuring about 90.
Dharmanth Rai was the railway coolie who had caught one of the terrorists, Imtiaz Ansari from the toilet on platform number 10 on Karbigahiya side of the railway station. It was 9.30 in the morning on October 27,2013, Dharmnath Rai recalled and said he heard sounds of explosion from inside the toilet, rushed there and found an injured Imtiaz fleeing. It appears he was injured while planting explosives.
He became the key witness of the National Investigation Agency and gave lead to the serial blasts with the arrest of Imtiaz, who disclosed about other bombs planted in and around Gandhi Maidan, where Modi was to address his first election meeting.
He received threat calls from the terror groups, he claimed. The Government Railway Police at Patna junction provided him one armed jawan in 2016. But, when threat calls persisted, following direction of the Patna High Court recently, his security has been beefed up and more PSOs given by the district police. On High Court orders, Bihar police security committee held a meeting and decided to extend his security cover on the running trains during his journey.
Dharmnath Rai carries luggage to different platforms and trains with two PSOs in guard with him. As the High Court has ordered, outside Patna junction too, PSOs accompany the coolie.
