Uttar Pradesh Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi was critically injured in a bomb blast near his house in Allahabad on Monday.
The Institutional Finance Minister was going to a temple in a narrow lane of Mutthiganj area, about 60 metres from his house, around noon when explosives kept in a two-wheeler went off. His police gunner Sanjay, a local scribe, Minister's staff member Preetam and sanitation worker Shyam Babu too were injured. They were admitted to a hospital in the city, where Mr. Nandi's condition was stated to be serious.
There was no official communication about his condition and the extent of his injuries. He is said to have suffered serious injuries in the neck, resulting in excessive bleeding. ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal, however, said here that the Minister was fine and only the condition of police gunner was serious. He denied reports that some persons were detained.
Soon after the incident, Chief Minister Mayawati went into a huddle with senior officers. Senior Ministers Swami Prasad Maurya and Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Principal Secretary (Home) Fateh Bahadur and DGP Karamveer Singh were sent to Allahabad.
Two motorcycles and a Scooty were completely damaged in the fire caused by the explosion. A moped flew in the air and fell some distance away from the blast site. Police suspect that the explosives were kept in it.
