By Savikalpa Thapa
An explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort on Sunday evening left nine people dead and at least twenty injured, shaking the capital’s busy old city area. The blast occurred around 6:50 pm when a white Hyundai i20, parked close to the Red Fort Metro Station, went up in flames. Witnesses described scenes of panic as the car exploded at a traffic signal, setting nearby vehicles ablaze and sending glass and debris flying across the road.
Police later identified the car’s owner as Umar Mohammad, a doctor from Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, who is believed to have triggered the device after two of his alleged accomplices were arrested earlier in the day. Officials said the car had been stationary for almost three hours before it exploded, and early investigation points to a possible link with Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. On the same day, nearly three tonnes of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, were seized from a site in Faridabad, leading investigators to believe the two incidents may be connected.
Authorities have invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, confirming that the case is being treated as a terrorist attack. The National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe. Investigators are looking into how the vehicle, which reportedly changed hands seven times in recent weeks, ended up in one of the most secure parts of the city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned what he called a “cowardly act,” promising that those behind the attack would be brought to justice. Home Minister Amit Shah said security agencies have been directed to intensify searches and maintain high alert in Delhi and neighbouring states. The Delhi Metro briefly shut the Lal Qila station, and security around religious and tourist sites has been tightened.
As investigators comb through CCTV footage and forensic teams examine the remains of the vehicle, questions remain over how such a large quantity of explosives was transported and planted so close to a landmark under constant surveillance. For now, the capital mourns the lives lost in an attack that once again exposes how fragile urban security can be, even in the shadow of India’s most protected monuments.