Senior Delhi Police officers stated that it was too early to determine whether the strong explosion that tore through a car near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday night, killing at least eight persons and injuring twenty-four more, was a bomb blast. “The explosion happened in a moving car on the road,” a top official told Hindustan Times.
“We are unable to determine whether it was a bomb blast because there is no crater at the location. Additionally, there have been no reports of pellet or splinter injuries, which are typical in bomb blasts. There were two or three people inside the Eeco car that caused the explosion, and it was totally destroyed.” Samples are being gathered by forensic teams, the official continued.
The explosion, which happened close to the Red Fort Metro Station’s Gate No. 1, started a huge fire that consumed multiple cars. Six vehicles, two e-rickshaws, and one autorickshaw were destroyed, according to officials. By 7:29 p.m., the fire had been contained after ten fire trucks were dispatched to the scene.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the air, as panic swept across the crowded area. The Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association circulated eyewitness footage of dead and burned cars on the road. “It felt like an earthquake because the blast was so loud.” The head of the association, Sanjay Bhargaw, stated, “Our building, which is about 800 meters away, shook.”
While Delhi Police and forensic specialists are analyzing the car’s remnants to ascertain the cause, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has joined the investigation. All around the capital, a high warning has been issued.
The explosion occurred mere hours after Haryana Police, in collaboration with their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir, detained Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, a Kashmiri physician from Faridabad, and confiscated approximately 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, weapons, ammunition, and timers from his leased home.