New Delhi | Union Home Minister Amit Shah said investigators are keeping all options open while probing the blast near the Red Fort that claimed eight lives on Monday evening.
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."
The home minister said eight people lost their lives and several others were injured. Teams of the Delhi Police, NIA, NSG and forensics have started the probe, he said and hoped that the exact details of the blast would be unearthed soon.
"I will visit the blast site soon and will hold a high-level meeting tomorrow with top officials to analyse the explosion," he said.
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to him, and he has briefed him about the blast. Teams have begun a thorough investigation, he added.
New Delhi | The Delhi Police detained the owner of a car in which an explosion occurred near the Red Fort on Monday evening, killing at least eight people and gutting several vehicles, an official said.
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.
Eight died and 20 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.
"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," the officer said.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the car, in which the blast took place, had some occupants.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi, and security has been beefed up at city border points, with vehicle checking intensified.
Panic gripped the blast site as fire billowed from burning cars following the explosion.
New Delhi | The Railway Protection Force (RPF), in close coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP), is on high alert with strict security arrangements at all stations in the Delhi-NCR region following a bomb blast near the Red Fort that killed eight people and injured many on Monday.
The Northern Railway said on Monday that security arrangements at major stations such as New Delhi, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Ghaziabad have been reviewed, with all possible measures taken to enhance security without causing inconvenience to passengers.
"All railway officials and security personnel deployed at these stations are on high alert with strict security arrangements. RPF staffers have been deployed at various points, including station entry gates, exit gates and platforms," Himanshu Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway, told PTI.
"Multiple dog squads have been pressed into service for checking passengers' luggage as well as the premises in and around stations," Upadhyay added.
Northern Railway officials said that close coordination is being maintained with the Government Railway Police (GRP), and the railway premises and surrounding areas are being monitored through CCTV cameras as well.
"Persons with suspicious behaviour are being checked thoroughly," the officials added.
"We request all passengers to remain calm and cooperate with security officials engaged in ensuring safety," Upadhyay said.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday condemned the bomb blast in Delhi and expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.
In a post on 'X', Vijayan said he strongly condemns the heinous bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort. "This cowardly act is an attack on our nation and its people," he said.
The chief minister extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and said Kerala stands in steadfast solidarity with the people of Delhi in this hour of grief.
Vijayan also urged authorities to ensure that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice without delay. "Such forces that threaten our nation’s peace must be defeated," he said.
A high-intensity explosion near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening claimed eight lives and injured 24 others.
The area was crowded with people at the time.
Meanwhile, Kerala Police have intensified security checks at sensitive locations across the state, including railway stations and bus terminals.
Dog squads and bomb disposal units have been deployed as part of the enhanced security measures, police officials said.
New York/Washington | The United States 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 told PTI 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.”
A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station in Delhi, killing at least eight people and gutting several vehicles.
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.
