No request for cancellation of Patna rally: Bihar Police

Bihar Police Sunday denied that any of its officials requested any BJP leader to cancel or not to address the Oct 27 Patna rally after serial blasts in the city.

A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh said state police officials had requested him and party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi not to address the rally, Bihar Police denied the same.

"Bihar Police officials had not requested or approached any BJP leader to cancel or not to address the rally in Patna," Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar told a press conference here.

He said: "It seems that BJP leaders are making wrong and baseless statement. Such thing is far from the truth."

He said that elaborate security arrangements were made for the rally.

Rajnath Singh said that despite the Bihar Police's request not to address the rally, they decided to go ahead as cancelling the programme would have led to riots in the state.

"Police officials came to me and said don't address the public meeting as some blasts have taken place. They said the same thing to Modi. I said no, whatever happens, we will address the rally," he said.

Seven people, including a suspect in an explosion at the Patna railway station, were killed and nearly 100 injured after seven bombs went off ahead of the rally.