On 27 October 2013, a series of bomb blasts rocked the Indian city of Patna, Bihar at a massive election rally for Narendra Modi, the then Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Prime Minister.

[7] In 2021, members of the Indian Mujahideen, who had been the initial suspects, and the Students' Islamic Movement of India were convicted of carrying out the attacks.

He also revealed that a suspicious suitcase was found in Gandhi Maidan two days previously and henceforth security would be beefed up.

[sic] An Indian National Congress leader, Shakeel Ahmad, wrote: "Blasts during Modi Ji's 1st visit as PM hopeful to Bihar should be condemned by one and all.

[sic][11] INC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said: "What a coincidence blast at Patna Railway on the day of Modi's Rally !

[18] Hours after the attacks Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was spotted at the music launch party of Bollywood movie Rajjo along with Kangana Ranaut.

[19] Within days of the blasts, the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar requested Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to have the National Investigation Agency (NIA) take over the case.

[20] Patna police converged on the scene of the blast and apprehended Imtiaz Ansari as he was attempting to flee in possession of explosives.

[22] Interrogation of Imtiaz Ansari revealed that the bombings were coordinated by Indian Mujahideen, a Pakistani-linked Muslim terrorist group operating out of India.

[22] However, as the blasts went off, BJP officials organising the rally led the crowd to believe they were fire crackers and appealed for calm, thus averting a much greater loss of life and foiling the Indian Mujahideen's plans of inciting a deadly stampede that could have killed hundreds.

[23][24] In the initial days of the investigation, six suspects were detained for interrogation based on leads obtained by police from Imtiaz Ansari.

[20] Investigators believe Mohammad Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu to be the mastermind behind the serial blasts, and the second-highest ranking leader of the terrorist outfit, Indian Mujahideen.

[28] BJP leaders, including former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, asserted that the security lapses were a deliberate, possibly criminal attempt by the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, to take revenge on his political enemy, Narendra Modi.