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.

 

“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. According to a senior police officer, “The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellet or puncture in the body of the injured, which is unusual in a bomb blast. We are investigating all angles.” Police sources said the car was registered in the name of one Nadeem Khan and bore a Haryana number plate. “The blast occurred in a car 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 gurudwara 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. Delhi 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. Meanwhile, a high alert has been sounded across poll-bound Bihar following an explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi, Director General of Police Vinay Kumar said. A high alert has been issued in Maharashtra following a blast and security has been beefed up at vital installations in Mumbai and other locations, police said. A red alert has been sounded in Punjab. Odisha Police also sounded high alert at all major religious and strategic installations, including the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday ordered the police to remain on high alert in the wake of a blast at Red Fort. The Chief Minister sought details of the incident from Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna, an official statement issued here said. 

 

 

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, and assured people that those affected are being assisted by the authorities. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier 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 Amit Shah Ji and other officials,” he added.