Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired two high-level review meetings on Tuesday to assess the security situation in the national capital and across the country following the powerful explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort. The first meeting took place in the morning and the second later in the afternoon. Shah directed officials to ensure that every person involved in the blast is apprehended and brought to justice.
“In a review meeting with senior officials, instructions were given to find the culprits. All those involved in this act will be punished severely,” Shah said.
Top Officials Brief Home Minister
The meetings were attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, NIA Director General Sadanand Vasant Date, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat joined the discussions online. Senior officials provided detailed briefings on the situation following the blast and the ongoing investigation.
NIA To Investigate Blast
The Ministry of Home Affairs has handed over the investigation of the explosion to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), indicating that the government views the blast as a terrorist act. The NIA is authorised to probe only cases related to terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Delhi Police has registered a case under stringent provisions of the UAPA in connection with the blast, which occurred on Monday evening near the Red Fort Metro station. The explosion, which took place in a car halted at a traffic signal, killed 12 people and injured 20 others. Several vehicles in the vicinity caught fire due to the intensity of the blast.
Possible Jaish-e-Mohammed Link
According to preliminary findings, investigators have uncovered links between the Red Fort blast and a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) module previously detected in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. Several individuals associated with this network have been arrested in recent weeks, including multiple doctors. Security agencies have also recovered approximately 3,000 kilograms of explosives and a cache of weapons during related raids. Officials consider the potential connection between the two incidents to be a significant lead in the case.
Home Minister’s Directive: ‘Every Culprit Will Face Consequences’
Amit Shah warned that all those responsible for the attack will face strict consequences. “Every single culprit will face the consequences,” he asserted during the review. He further emphasised that investigative agencies are working on all possible angles to get to the bottom of the case.
The Home Ministry confirmed that the National Investigation Agency has begun its formal probe into the incident. The driver of the vehicle that exploded is suspected of having links to a Faridabad-based terror module.
