Security personnel scan the Gandhi Maidan with metal detectors and (right) a bomb disposal squad officer tries to defuse the package of explosives at the temporary police control room on Tuesday. Pictures by Deepak Kumar and Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Gandhi Maidan has overnight ceased to be the familiar, verdant open space and turned into a veritable minefield in the heart of the city.

Even two days after a series of low-intensity blasts rocked the Maidan during the Hunkar Rally of the BJP, the security forces in charge of sanitising the green patch are still finding live bombs there and are unsure of how many explosives remain concealed in the 62 acres.

A live bomb is one that has neither exploded nor has been defused, and has the potential to explode.

A team of Bihar police and National Security Guard (NSG) discovered three bombs at Gandhi Maidan on Tuesday. The first one was defused but the NSG officers were struggling to defuse the remaining two — one of which is a deadly package of three bundled together. The package was found in the temporary control room set up by the police for the Hunkar Rally.

All the bombs were found near the northern boundary wall of the Gandhi Maidan.

The first bomb was found around 11am on Tuesday. It took the NSG team and the bomb disposal squad nearly two hours to defuse it.

After an ear-splitting explosion at 12.57pm indicating that the first bomb had been set off by the security personnel, Patna city superintendent of police (SP) Jayant Kant said the police were not sure how many more bombs were there in the Maidan. “The bomb disposal squad spotted a mysterious package just inside the boundary wall of the Gandhi Maidan, opposite the second gate of Shri Krishna Memorial Hall. On probing, we found that it was a live bomb,” he said.

Asked why it was taking so long to ensure that there were no more explosive hidden in the Maidan, Kant said: “The area of Gandhi Maidan is huge. All the gates have been closed and we are trying to conduct a thorough search. But it is not an easy task at all.”

The discovery of live bombs more than two days after the rally has raised questions about the effectiveness of the search. As a result of the uncertainty surrounding the green patch, the CPI-ML (Liberation), which was supposed to be held at the Gandhi Maidan on Wednesday, has now been shifted to the Miller High School ground.

On Tuesday, the NSG personnel collected pieces of the first bomb they had managed to defuse. Sources said the explosive was fitted with a timer device.

“It (the bomb) was neatly wrapped in a white plastic bag and kept just near the boundary wall, at a distance of 50m from one of the gates of the Gandhi Maidan. A small clock was attached to the bomb as a timer,” said a police officer, who did not want to be named, adding that it was a live bomb and analysis of its parts would reveal more.

The second bomb was recovered around 3.50pm about 20m inside the boundary wall of the Gandhi Maidan, in front of the Magadh Mahila College. It was inside a pile of sand sacks inside a tent, which served as a police control room during the Hunkar Rally.

The NSG men tried to detonate it for an hour-and-a-half and there was a low-intensity blast. The security personnel were, however, not sure that the bomb was dead.

“It seems three bombs have been tied up together and kept at the spot. The officers are trying to defuse it. It will take some time. Right now, it is unsure if it was a single bomb or three,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj.

According to police sources, 7,694 personnel had been deployed from the Patna airport to Gandhi Maidan to ensure security for the Hunkar Rally on Sunday. But the discovery of explosives in the police control room at the venue exposes gaping holes in the security plan.

While the security personnel were still struggling with the deadly package, two constables spotted another bomb in a plastic bag, around 100m from the second one. It was around 5pm.

“The bomb disposal squad is trying to defuse all the explosives that have been found,” said SSP Maharaj, adding: “The Bihar police personnel are scanning the Gandhi Maidan to check whether there are more bombs or not. The checks will continue till we are sure that the Gandhi Maidan is safe.”

The slow pace of the checks, however, has turned into a pain for the residents of the city, especially students of Magadh Mahila College and its adjacent Women’s Training College, opposite the northern end of the Gandhi Maidan.

Both institutions will remain closed on Wednesday as students are finding it difficult to reach them.

“The road leading to our institute was closed since the bombs were discovered nearby. The students told us that they were finding it difficult to come to college. So, we decided to keep them closed with permission from the vice-chancellor (of Patna University),” said Jessie George Modi, the principal of Women’s Training College.