Firetenders and Delhi police personnel at the spot after an explosion in a car near the Red Fort. (Pic credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: Eight people died on Monday evening in a blast that occurred near Gate 1 of Red Fort Metro Station. Delhi police and several other agencies, including the fire department, forensic team, National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigation Agency (NIA), are at the spot to investigate the incident. Soon after the blast, PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah took stock of the situation. Shah, in a briefing, said that the blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 car at the Subhash Marg traffic signal near the Red Fort in Delhi, injuring some pedestrians and damaging some vehicles.
6.55 pm: High-intensity explosion takes place
Talking about the incident, Delhi fire chief AK Malik said that the blast occurred at around 6.55 on Monday evening outside the gate of Chandani Chowk metro station. Eyewitnesses said that panic gripped the area after the explosion, and they were shocked at seeing the loss of lives and body parts.”When we saw someone’s hand on the road, we were absolutely shocked. I can’t explain it in words…” said a local to ANI.”When we came near, we saw body parts spread on the road. No one could figure out what happened. Several cars have been damaged,” another eye-witness said.
Delhi crime branch reaches spot within 10 minutes
In the briefing, Shah said that Delhi crime branch and Delhi special branch reached the spot within 10 minutes of the incident.
7.29 pm: Fire doused
Malik added that seven fire tenders reached the spot by 7.29 pm to douse the fire. He said that six cars, 2 e-rickshaws and one auto rickshaw caught fire after the explosion.
Several teams at spot after explosion
A few minutes after the explosion, several teams from different departments were alerted and reached the spot to investigate the incident.
What’s the reason behind blast?
Former DGP AK Jain told PTI that “anything is possible.” He added that, “there could be a blast, a terrorist attack, also there may be a gas cylinder blast, a fuel tank would have caught fire, but such a fire is seldom seen.””The forensic team reached there, and it will come out whether any explosive material was used. Arrests of terrorists have been ongoing in Faridabad, Gujarat, UP. Maybe there would be their splinter group that carried out this. We need to be alert. The whole country, intelligence agencies need to be alert. If a blast occurs, it is like making a statement against the arrests; soon everything will get clear,” he added.
What did Shah say?
Shah, in the briefing, said that the blast occurred around 7 pm in a Hyundai i20 car at the Subhash Marg traffic signal near the Red Fort in Delhi. He added that some pedestrians were injured and some vehicles were damaged. “Within 10 minutes of receiving the information of the blast, teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Delhi Special Branch arrived at the spot. The NSG and NIA teams, along with the FSL, have now begun a thorough investigation,” Shah said.
Shah says taking all possibilities into account
“Orders have been given to examine all nearby CCTV cameras. I have also spoken to the Delhi CP and the Special Branch in-charge. The Delhi CP and the Special Branch in-charge are present at the spot. We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account. All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public. I will be heading to the spot shortly and will also visit the hospital immediately,” he added. Go to Source
