DP detains vehicle’s owner in Gurugram
*PM, HM review situation;
Shah says all angles being probed
NEW DELHI, Nov 10: 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, officials 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 body lying 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.
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“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.
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“The blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 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.
“There was a 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.
Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded outside the LNJP Hospital on Monday night, as families waited anxiously for word on their loved ones.
Confusion and grief marked the atmosphere, with relatives alleging lack of information and mismanagement. Many said they were not being allowed inside to check on the victims.
Sudheer Sharma, a resident of Rohtas Nagar in Shahdara, said his son Ankush Sharma was critically injured in the explosion, battling for his life in the ICU.
“My son went to visit the Gauri Shankar temple with his friend Rahul Kaushik. While Rahul was sent home after stitches on his head, Ankush is fighting for his life,” he said, adding that his son worked at a jewellery shop.
Zeeshan Ansari, brother-in-law of Dawd who sustained injuries in the blast, said, “He called me after the incident. We rushed here immediately, but have not been allowed to see him till now.”
Mohammad Danish, cousin of Sameer Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver injured in the blast, said a stranger called him to inform him about the incident.
“Sameer is in the ICU. We still don’t know how bad his situation is,” Danish said.
Tahir Mohammad, a relative of Sameer, said, “The hospital staff is not allowing us to see him.”
At one point, an elderly man was seen pleading with police and hospital guards to let him inside to check on his son.
He was finally allowed after a heated argument.
Some people said there was “complete mismanagement” at the hospital, with no clear communication as to where to go or which gate to enter.
“We just want to know if our family members are alive,” one of them said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police detained the owner of a car in which the explosion occurred.
The police have detained the car’s owner, identified as Md Salman, in Haryana’s Gurugram. Salman had sold his car to a person in Okhla, the official said, adding that the car was registered in his name and had a Haryana registration number plate.
“Delhi Police along with Gurugram police detained Md Salman on Monday and is questioning him about the car. He had sold it to a person in Okhla named Devendra. Later, the vehicle was again sold to someone in Ambala and police are tracing the people,” a senior police officer said.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the car, in which the blast took place, had some occupants.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has reviewed with Home Minister Amit Shah and other officials about the situation following the explosion near the Red Fort.
“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest,” PM Modi said on X.
“Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah and other officials,” he added.
Earlier, Government sources said PM Modi had taken stock of the situation and spoken with Shah, and taken an update.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Delhi Police chief and the director of the Intelligence Bureau to take stock of the situation following the blast.
Shah also directed the chiefs of the National Security Guard (NSG), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and forensic sciences to send expert teams to the blast site to assist the probe and collect evidence.
The Home Minister spoke to the Delhi Police commissioner, the director of the Intelligence Bureau and the Union home secretary to take stock of the situation following the blast, sources said.
The three top officers briefed him about the incident, they said.
Experts of the NSG and investigators of the NIA have rushed to the blast site, sources said. The NSG team comprised explosive experts, while the NIA team consisted of investigators experienced in terror cases.
A team of forensic experts has also rushed to the spot, sources said.
Shah said investigators are keeping all options open while probing the blast.
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.”
Meanwhile, The USA on Monday said it is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide consular assistance in the wake of the deadly bomb blast near Red Fort in New Delhi that has killed at least eight people and injured many more.
A State Department spokesperson said that “we are aware of the explosion near Red Fort in Delhi. We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.” (PTI)
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