PM Modi takes stock of situation, speaks to Amit Shah
NEW DELHI: A thunderous blast shattered the calm near Red Fort Metro Station in New Delhi on Monday evening, as a parked car erupted into flames, hurling metal and smoke into the crowded streets.
In seconds, the bustling heart of Old Delhi was plunged into chaos. Flames engulfed nearby vehicles, leaving them twisted and charred. Eight people were killed on the spot, and twenty-four others were rushed to LNJP Hospital, some fighting for their lives.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said investigators are keeping all options open while probing the blast near the Red Fort that claimed eight lives on Monday evening.
He said the blast took place in a Hyundai i20 car at a traffic signal near Red Fort here at around 7 pm. It damaged three to four other vehicles and injured pedestrians and people travelling in autorickshaws.
All angles are being probed by the investigators, and no possibility is ruled out, he said after meeting some of the injured at the LNJP hospital here.
Asked whether it was a terrorist attack, Shah said, “It is difficult to say what caused the incident. Until the samples recovered from the blast site are analysed by forensics and NSG, we can’t say anything. But we are not ruling out anything and investigating all angles.”
The home minister said eight people lost their lives and several others were injured. Teams of the Delhi Police, NIA, NSG and forensics have started the probe, he said and hoped that the exact details of the blast would be unearthed soon.
“I will visit the blast site soon and will hold a high-level meeting tomorrow with top officials to analyse the explosion,” he said.
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to him, and he has briefed him about the blast. Teams have begun a thorough investigation, he added.
Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association revealed the grim aftermath, burning wreckage, shattered glass, and bodies strewn across the road.
Eyewitnesses spoke in shock of body parts scattered near the blast site, painting a chilling picture of devastation under the glow of the Red Fort’s walls.
“A high-intensity explosion ripped through a car parked near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, gutting several vehicles and killing at least eight people, and injuring more than two dozen,” informed officials.
Immediately after the blast, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation after a blast near the Red Fort here on Monday evening claimed at least eight lives, and spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah, government sources said.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The fire, officials said, was brought under control by 7.29 pm.
“Six cars, two erickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire,” said a fire department official.
A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the spot.
The blast was so powerful that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away. The sound was heard at ITO a few kilometres away.
“The blast occurred in a car parked near Red Fort metro station gate number 1. The intensity was quite high. Injuries are feared,” said a senior official of Delhi Fire Service.
Visuals of the incident showed plumes of fire billowing from the burning cars.
Panic gripped the area as several vehicles were seen damaged at the spot following the loud explosion.
An injured eyewitness, who suffered a wound on his forehead, said the explosion appeared to have originated from a car, probably a Swift.
“There was a Swift car in front of my auto. There was something in that car that suddenly blasted,” he said.
Another witness said, “I was at the gurdwara when I heard a strong sound. We couldn’t make out what it was, it was that loud.”
“A number of vehicles nearby were completely damaged,” he added.
Sanjay Bhargaw, president of the Chandni Chowk Traders Association, whose shop is about 800 metres away from the incident site, said the entire building shook due to the blast.
There was chaos in the market as people started running, he shared.
The blast came hours after the recovery of around 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a Kashmiri doctor’s rented accommodation in nearby Faridabad
Haryana Police, in coordination with their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, arrested Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Faridabad’s Dhauj area recovered explosive materials, weapons, and timers from his rented house.
Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
Among those arrested following a 15-day operation were Kashmir’s Dr Ganaie in Faridabad and Dr Shaheen, a woman doctor from Lucknow, who was taken by air to Srinagar for custodial interrogation, officials said. An AK-47 rifle was found in her car.
Immediately after the blast, the PM took stock of the situation, and spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah, government sources said.
A high-intensity explosion ripped through a car near the Red Fort metro station, gutting several vehicles, officials said.
According to government sources, PM Modi has taken stock of the situation. He also spoke with Home Minister Shah and took an update, they said.
Twenty-four people were injured in the blast that took place on a busy evening when the area was milling with people. The injured were taken to the LNJP hospital, a few kilometres away.
Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association showed the magnitude of the blast. A body could be seen lying on a vehicle. Another video showed a mangled body on the road. Eyewitnesses said body parts could be seen scattered near the blast site.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The fire, officials said, was brought under control by 7.29 pm.
“Six cars, two e-rickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire,” said a fire department official. A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached the spot.
