Delhi Blast: As the evening of November 10 drew to a close, a high-intensity explosion shook the national capital. At 6:52 pm, a car, believed to be laden with explosives, detonated outside the bustling Red Fort metro station, leaving at least 13 dead and nearly 30 injured. The city has been on high alert ever since. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the site of the blast soon after the incident.
He later stated that multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police Special Cell, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the National Security Guards (NSG) and Delhi Police’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), have been tasked to investigate all possible angles.
He also confirmed that he had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting Bhutan on the fateful day, about the incident.
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
The following morning, November 11, the prime minister took to X, affirming that investigative agencies would trace the roots of the blast and ensure that all those responsible for the deaths are held accountable.
Every such incident brings a flood of source-based reports. The Red Fort blast was no exception. While officials exercised caution, revealing only limited details, withholding even the preliminary outcome of the ongoing investigation, reports quoting unnamed sources have provided information.
There is still no official confirmation on whether this was a terror attack, who carried it out or what type of explosive was used. Early reports revealed the previous owner of the car, though it later emerged he had sold it months ago.
Here, we will unpack what is known so far and what is confirmed.
What Happened During The Blast?
The explosion occurred in the evening at the Red Fort area. Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters a few hours later, “The blast took place at around 06:52 pm in a moving vehicle that had slowed down near the Red Fort traffic signal.”
According to PTI, the Delhi Fire Service brought the fire under control by 7:29 pm. Footage captured flames rising from vehicles engulfed in fire. Panic quickly spread throughout the area. The blast shattered the glass of at least 15 vehicles parked meters away. The roar was audible in nearby areas, including ITO that is few kilometers away from the blast site and houses and newspaper offices.
Shah confirmed that orders were issued to review CCTV footage from the surrounding area. On November 11, Hindustan Times reported that the Delhi Police had gained full access to CCTV recordings installed by the Delhi government’s Public Works Department since 2018.
Was It A Suicide Or Fidayeen-Style Attack?
The Delhi Police has not officially confirmed whether the blast was a suicide bombing. Various reports, quoting unnamed sources, have suggested different possibilities.
Newspapers such as The Times of India and the Hindustan Times have reported that Delhi Police sources indicated initial findings pointing to a possible fidayeen attack, with potential involvement of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
Police officials also told TOI that the suicide attack could have been carried out without a detailed plan, following the recent bust of the “Faridabad module” in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Haryana Police.
The motive for the blast has not yet been ascertained, and the Delhi Police confirmed that investigations into the motive are ongoing. Notably, multiple police sources have shared differing theories with reporters.
A senior unnamed police official told The Tribune that there appears to have been more than one person in the car that exploded and that the involvement of suicide bombers is still being investigated. Another anonymous police official suggested that the car may have been used as a “courier” for explosives, which detonated “accidentally”.
What is clear at this stage is that no traces of RDX were found at the blast site, deepening the mystery. The exact explosive used has not been officially confirmed. Reports attributed to government sources and senior police officials indicate that ammonium nitrate and highly flammable fuel oil may have been involved in the explosion.
Understanding The ‘Faridabad Module’
From the morning of November 11, investigators began to ascertain if there is any link of the Delhi blast to the alleged Faridabad module recently busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police and Haryana Police.
The J&K Police said the “module” was discovered while investigating posters, allegedly issued by the JeM, found at Naugam in Srinagar on October 19.
Over three weeks, more than 1,200 individuals described as “over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers of terrorists” were questioned, and some were detained.
The police said they got their first breakthrough in the case after they allegedly seized an AK47 rifle from the official locker belonging to one Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather at the Government Medical College in Anantnag.
On November 10, hours before the blast, Faridabad Police Commissioner Satendra Kumar Gupta confirmed that Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Gani, another doctor allegedly linked to the module working at Al Falah University in Faridabad, was arrested.
The third arrest was made from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the “Faridabad module”. The police took in Dr Shaheen Sayeed. Investigators claimed that she was associated with JeM’s women’s wing and an assault rifle, which she had thrown in a dustbin as a result of the panic created by the arrest of her alleged accomplices, was seized.
Roles of these doctors in the blast remain unspecified. None of the three have prior criminal records. The J&K Police, however, stated that the “module” was connected to the proscribed JeM and the Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind. They claimed to have seized two AK47 rifles, two pistols, ammunition, roughly 2,900 kg of explosives and “incriminating documents” and electronic devices seized.
What Has Happened So Far?
The Delhi Police filed an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act. The prime suspect of the blast has been identified as Umar Un Nabi, also a doctor, believed to have been driving the Hyundai i20 that exploded.
This too has not been officially confirmed, though unnamed Delhi Police officials quoted in media reports claimed Nabi, a resident of Pulwama in South Kashmir was behind the steering wheel.
Reports vary on Nabi’s professional status, identifying him either as working at the Faridabad university or as a medical student there. The alleged Faridabad connection aligns with J&K Police’s claim of a “terror module” operating in Delhi NCR.
The police allege that funds were raised through “professional and academic networks under the guise of charitable activities to radicalise and recruit youth to terror ranks”. Specifics of these networks remain undisclosed.
The exploded car carried a Haryana registration number and reportedly changed multiple owners before Dr. Nabi purchased it. His parents, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt and Shamima Banoo, were detained in Pulwama for DNA collection and questioning.
Several other doctors were also detained in connection with the “Faridabad module”. Three others connected to the sale and purchase of the car have been questioned, but no formal arrests have been made.
The Hindu reported that the case has now been handed over to the NIA for further investigation.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
