Red Fort car blast probed under anti‑terror law
Indian authorities are investigating a deadly car explosion near New Delhi's historic Red Fort under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), officials said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India's federal counter‑terror unit, has been placed in charge of the probe.
The blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 parked close to a busy metro station near the Red Fort and has been linked to at least 12 confirmed fatalities and about 20 people wounded. Officials warned that the death toll could change as some bodies were badly damaged in the explosion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking during a state visit to Bhutan, described the incident as a 'conspiracy' and vowed that investigators would identify and bring to justice those responsible.
Modi: I assure everyone that the agencies will get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy. All those involved will be brought to justice.
Security response and investigation
Authorities deployed heavy security in central Delhi, increased checkpoints around the city's approaches and urged heightened vigilance in neighbouring states. Officials in Rajasthan and Odisha said they were stepping up protective measures in response to the blast.
Police sources and media reports say investigators are examining a possible link between the explosion and raids in Faridabad earlier the same day, where a large cache of explosives was reportedly seized. Faridabad, an industrial district in neighbouring Haryana, is roughly 30km from the Red Fort area.
Vehicle tracing and timeline
According to police sources cited by the Press Trust of India, investigators reconstructed the vehicle's movements using CCTV footage and toll‑plaza data. The timeline reported by authorities shows the car was first seen outside Asian Hospital in Faridabad, crossed a toll plaza and entered Delhi at 8:13am (02:43 GMT). It was later recorded entering a parking area near the Red Fort at 3:19pm (09:49 GMT), where it remained for nearly three hours before leaving at 6:22pm (12:52 GMT) and reaching the Red Fort area about 24 minutes later, when the explosion occurred.
Reports also indicated that arrests made in the course of earlier raids included two doctors from Kashmir, and that investigators are exploring whether the vehicle used in the blast was linked to one of the detainees.
The NIA-led inquiry is ongoing and officials cautioned that details remain provisional as forensic teams continue to examine evidence at the scene.
