Bihar was alerted about Modi rally attack: Shinde

The central government had warned Bihar about a possible terror attack at BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's Patna rally, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Tuesday.

Taking part at a function to mark the 74th anniversary of the CRPF here, Shinde said the warning was given to the Bihar government prior to the Sunday rally that were marred by a string of bomb blasts.

Shinde was speaking to the media at the Kadarpur Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) group centre, eight kilometers from Gurgaon.

Shinde, who was to go to Patna Tuesday to review the security situation in Bihar, said he cancelled his visit as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had a meeting at Rajgir.

Six people were killed and more than 80 injured when half a dozen bombs exploded in Patna Sunday, most of them in and around the Gandhi Maidan where Modi later addressed a huge rally.

"I have sent the union home secretary and additional secretary and the NIA chief to Patna to take stock of the situation," Shinde said.

Nitish Kumar, he added, would visit New Delhi Wednesday "and meet me".

Later, Shinde laid the foundation stone of 489 residential quarters and 580 men's barracks at the NSG headquarter at Manesar.

He, however, skipped a live demonstration of the counter-terrorist conditioning course (CTCC) as well as a media interaction there, saying he had to attend an urgent meeting in New Delhi.

Responding to journalists' queries, NSG director-general Arvind Ranjan said there was no lapse in the mobile security cover provided to Modi by the NSG.

"Security arrangements at Sunday's Patna rally was under the purview of the state government and I would not comment on that," Ranjan said.

"There was no lack of coordination among the various central security agencies," he added.