Major Blast Near Delhi's Red Fort Leaves Nine Dead
Indian authorities have detained multiple suspects following a devastating car explosion in Delhi that killed nine people and wounded at least twenty others. The blast occurred on Monday evening near the historic Red Fort, a medieval fortress and UNESCO World Heritage site where India's prime ministers traditionally deliver their annual Independence Day addresses.
The explosion ripped through the area during the busy evening rush hour, gutting several vehicles and leaving a trail of destruction across one of the capital's busiest districts. Investigators are treating the incident as a potential terrorist attack under India's stringent anti-terrorism laws, which grant authorities broader powers to arrest and detain suspects.
Kashmir Crackdown and Suspect Detentions
According to the Associated Press, police in the restive Himalayan region of Kashmir have detained at least five individuals from Pulwama district in connection with the blast. These detentions formed part of a wider crackdown over the past week during which approximately 1,500 people were questioned across the federal territory as authorities worked to prevent a suspected "reorganisation" of militant groups.
In a significant development just hours before the explosion, Kashmir police had arrested seven men, including three doctors, from Faridabad and Saharanpur areas near Delhi. Authorities subsequently recovered weapons and approximately 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making material, which they claim links the detained suspects to Pakistan-based militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
India routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants in Kashmir, where a bloody insurgency against Delhi's rule has persisted for over two decades. Islamabad consistently denies these allegations.
Investigation Focuses on Kashmiri Doctor and Vehicle
Indian media outlets, citing unnamed sources, have reported that the Hyundai i20 that exploded was being driven by Dr Umar Nabi, a Kashmiri doctor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. However, authorities have not issued any formal statement confirming whether Dr Nabi was driving the vehicle or if he perished in the explosion.
Investigators are reportedly examining whether Dr Nabi deliberately triggered the explosion or if it resulted from an accidental detonation while transporting explosives. Delhi police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi stated that authorities were exploring "all possible angles, including a terror attack, an accidental blast or any kind of failure in the car".
Police have also detained a Faridabad car dealer known only as Amit, whose showroom sold the Hyundai i20 involved in the explosion. Authorities are meticulously tracing the vehicle's ownership chain to determine how it reached Dr Nabi. "We are verifying who brought the car to Amit's showroom and through whom Dr Umar Nabi came in contact with him," sources told the Indian Express.
Human Toll and Political Response
The explosion has left numerous families grieving across Delhi and neighbouring states. Among the deceased was Jumman Khan, a 35-year-old e-rickshaw driver from Delhi whose torso was the only identifiable part recovered after the blast. Other victims included Nauman Ansari, 21, a cosmetics shop owner, and Pankaj Saini, 21, a cab driver, both leaving behind devastated families in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh.
Amar Kataria, 34, a pharmacist, was identified only by his tattoos after his body was badly burnt. Additional casualties included Dinesh Kumar, 36, a wedding card shop worker; Mohsin Malik, 35, an e-rickshaw driver; Lokesh Aggarwal, 60, a fertiliser trader; and Ashok Kumar, 34, a Delhi Transport Corporation conductor.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes in the explosion's aftermath, with families and friends rushing between hospitals and mortuaries to confirm the identities of victims. A colleague of Dinesh Kumar remembered him as a "happy-go-lucky" man who "would tease us until we smiled".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the injured at Lok Nayak Hospital on Wednesday, vowing that no "conspirator" behind the attack would be spared. The investigation continues as authorities work to establish the full circumstances behind this tragic event that has shaken the nation's capital.
