Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
“I was at my stall, selling litti-chokha to customers. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a huge explosion. The umbrella shed on my stall fell…the poster flew away…That was the intensity of the blast,” says A P Yadav, who witnessed the explosion at a traffic signal near Gate No. 1 of Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station.
The blast, which took place in a slow-moving Hyundai i20 car on the evening of Monday, November 10, has claimed at least 12 lives so far and left over 20 injured. The Delhi Police have invoked UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) sections. The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained.
The Red Fort has been shut to the public until Thursday, November 13.
“We all ran for our lives. The area was very crowded. I saw four to five cars go up in flames. I also saw a few dead bodies lying and some body parts scattered on the road,” Yadav said. “There was chaos. My two staff members have suffered injuries. All our material is still lying there. We came here to help people.”
Eyewitnesses described the sound as “like thunder” – it extinguished nearby streetlights, shattered glass at the metro entry gate, and hurled debris as far as 150 metres. Vicky, a resident who lives just 300 metres from the blast site, said he felt a tremor and heard the explosion from inside his house. “It felt like an earthquake,” he said.
Another eyewitness told us that since the Red Fort remains closed to visitors on Mondays, the casualties could have been much higher had the site been open.
‘Investigation in preliminary stage’
Hours before the explosion, the Jammu and Kashmir Police seized nearly 3,000 kg of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad, Haryana. The cache included about 350 kg of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can be used to make powerful explosives. The recovery was made following information provided by a J&K-based doctor. The car that exploded has also been linked by sections of the media to a Kashmiri doctor from Pulwama. Asked about the route taken by the car, DCP North Raja Banthia on Tuesday said, “The investigation is in a very preliminary stage...Any comment on that would be too premature.”
Following the explosion, at least six other vehicles caught fire, eyewitnesses told us. Multiple fire tenders were dispatched to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames, while teams from the Bomb Disposal Squad, Forensic Department, and Delhi Police cordoned off and secured the area. More than 20 injured individuals were rushed to Delhi’s LNJP Hospital. Of these, nine were declared dead on arrival, with several others in critical condition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah following the explosion. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials,” Modi posted on X.
Home Minister Amit Shah visited both the blast site and the hospital. All angles were being investigated, he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also visited LNJP Hospital to meet survivors.
The city has been placed on high alert following the blast. Police in neighbouring states and major cities have also been put on alert. All CISF-secured installations, including the Delhi Metro, Red Fort, government buildings, and IGI Airport have heightened security.
Addressing the media, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha had earlier said the situation is being monitored.
This report was republished from Newslaundry as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. Read about our partnership here.