A powerful car bomb killed eight people and injured 20 others near the historic Red Fort in Delhi on Monday evening. The explosion occurred in a crowded area popular with tourists, just hours after police dismantled a major terror module and seized nearly 3,000 kg of explosives in nearby Faridabad.
The blast took place at approximately 6:52 PM when a vehicle, identified by sources as a Hyundai i20 with Haryana registration, detonated near Gate 1 of the Lal Qila metro station. The explosion was intense, setting several nearby vehicles on fire. Eyewitnesses reported a devastating scene with heavily damaged vehicles.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha confirmed that a slow-moving vehicle exploded while stopped at a red light, causing significant collateral damage. "The situation is being monitored," he stated, adding that Home Minister Amit Shah was being kept fully informed of the developments.
Following the incident, Home Minister Shah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished for the swift recovery of the injured.
Emergency response was the immediate priority, with dozens of ambulances dispatched to transport the injured. Forensic and technical teams are now collecting evidence to determine the nature of the blast. Security has been significantly increased across the state and at sensitive locations, including the Indo-Nepal border, where security forces are on high alert.
Major Terror Module Busted
The deadly explosion in Delhi follows a major counter-terrorism success earlier in the day, where Jammu and Kashmir Police seized a massive 2,900 kg cache of explosives from two residences in Faridabad, Haryana.The seized materials included 350 kg of ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used in improvised explosive devices. The operation was based on intelligence gathered from the arrest of Dr. Adil Rather, a medical professional from Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr. Rather was apprehended in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after being linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organization.
The investigation led authorities to another suspect, Dr. Muzammil Shakeel, who was employed at the Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad. Raids on two residences linked to Dr. Shakeel uncovered 12 suitcases packed with explosives, along with detonators and timers.
An unnamed female colleague of the doctors was also arrested after an assault rifle and ammunition were discovered in her vehicle. A second rifle was found in a staff locker at a medical college in Anantnag, Dr. Rather's former workplace.
Police officials stated that these operations successfully dismantled a major inter-state terror module linked to both the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. A total of eight individuals, including the three medical professionals, have been arrested.
