At least nine people were killed when a car exploded near the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, India, on Monday evening. The incident is being investigated under India’s counter-terrorism law, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed convinced that the deadly explosion was a deliberate act.
According to New Delhi police, the explosion originated from a Hyundai i20 automobile which was stopped at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station a few minutes before 7:00 p.m. local time. All of New Delhi’s metro stations and government buildings, plus the international airport, were placed on high alert after the explosion.
The Red Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a revered symbol of India’s independence, and a major tourist attraction. Its name is derived from its distinctive red sandstone walls. The area around the fort is packed with market stalls and street vendors.
The blast started a fire that damaged and destroyed several nearby parked vehicles. At least 20 people were injured in addition to the nine known fatalities.
“Rickshaws blew up, body parts of people scattered during the explosion, and hardly anyone near the vehicle could be rescued. I saw people on the road with their legs split open and injuries to their hands and other body parts,” an eyewitness quoted by the UK Guardian said on Tuesday.
“We saw severed hands, fingers, and even the steering wheel of a car blown off. Handcart pullers and taxi drivers were among those hit by the blast. Some of them didn’t survive,” said another.
“The bodies that came in were beyond recognition. Some were just lumps of flesh. Many had their internal organs torn apart or missing. It was hard to tell one from another. That’s how devastating it was,” said a shaken employee at the local hospital morgue.
Home Minister Amit Shah told reporters that footage from CCTV cameras in the area would be part of the investigation. Local media reported forensic teams were examining the blast site, which has been cordoned off behind white cloth barriers.
“We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account. All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public,” Shah said.
Police officials said the incident would be investigated under the Unlawful Activities Act, which is India’s major anti-terrorism law. Invoking the Act gives law enforcement more powers to detain and interrogate suspects, and brings in the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the primary national counter-terrorism agency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he arrived in Bhutan, India’s Himalayan neighbor, for a scheduled visit on Tuesday with a “very heavy heart” because of the explosion.
“The horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,” Modi said.
“Our agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice,” he vowed.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke as though he had already concluded the blast was a deliberate attack.
“I want to firmly assure the nation that those responsible for this tragedy will be brought to justice and will not be spared under any circumstances,” he said on Tuesday.
Intelligence sources told India’s NDTV on Tuesday they believe the Hyundai was packed with explosives and driven by two terrorists who might have panicked and detonated their bomb prematurely.
Indian police conducted raids on suspected terrorist cells across the country on Monday and Tuesday, reportedly recovering a large cache of chemicals useful in bomb manufacturing from a raid on two residential buildings in Faridabad, a city in the northwestern state of Haryana.
The police said electronics that could be used as detonators, metal that could be used as shrapnel, an assault rifle, a pistol, and a sizable amount of ammunition were also captured in the Faridabad raid.
NDTV reported that police have implemented “extensive vehicle checking across the Kashmir valley,” established highway checkpoints, and tightened security along the border with Nepal.
The chief of police in Haryana, OP Singh, advised residents to “remain calm,” but also to report sightings of “any suspicious person or unclaimed object.”
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