Indian police said on Tuesday they have opened an investigation under anti-terrorism laws after eight people were killed in a blast near the Red Fort in Delhi.
A senior officer said a case had been opened under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, India's main anti-terrorism law. It was the first formal admission by police that they believe the blast, which also injured two dozen people, was deliberate. Home Minister Amit Shah is to hold a high-level meeting on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, a slow-moving car exploded near a metro station across from the Red Fort, a sprawling 17th century monument. Thousands of tourists visit the area for its monuments and vibrant food, cloth and spice markets.
“Forensic teams are examining the scene of crime. They are lifting the traces of the explosives,” Raja Banthia, deputy commissioner of police for North Delhi, said at the blast site on Tuesday. Hundreds of police and federal forces, along with anti-terrorism and forensic officers, attended the scene overnight.
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Indian police personnel inspect the scene of a blast near the red fort in New Delhi, India. EPA -
At least eight people were killed in the explosion. AFP -
Police and firefighters were at the scene. Reuters -
Policemen secure the site. AP -
At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said. AFP
Human remains and pieces of metal were scattered around the site, which is at one of the busiest junctions of Delhi's historic walled city. The area connects the bustling Chandni Chowk Market with the Red fort, a Unesco site and one of the Indian capital's most recognisable landmarks.
Outside the city’s Lok Nayak Hospital, dozens of families searched for relatives who were at the blast site. Some said they had not received information about their whereabouts, while others mourned at a morgue. At least three victims have been identified.
Vinod Kumar Sharma told The National that his brother, an Uber driver injured in the blast, was in the emergency ward. "We have just come and have spoken to him on the phone. He said he is feeling better now," Mr Sharma said.
A Hyundai i20 exploded at about 6.50pm. Police said the car was “slow-moving” and “came to a stop” before the blast.
Witnesses described a horrendous sight after the explosion. “I saw the car explode while it was moving. People were on fire, we tried to save them and saved some of them,” said Dharmindra Dhaga, 27.
“There was a fire and cars and people were burning. Many people have died and many are injured. Police and fire services came after 10 minutes. The bodies were removed from the spot to a nearby place, as the cars were still exploding."
Another witness told local news channels that "one person's body was torn into pieces" and described seeing a hand on the road.
The blast took place hours after police recovered nearly three tonnes of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad, a satellite city of Delhi. They also recovered 350kg of ammonium nitrate, a commonly used fertiliser that can be used to build a bomb.
At least two men have been arrested in connection with the blast, including Dr Umar Mohammad from Pulwama, in the Kashmir region. He is alleged to have owned the car that exploded.
Police believe the suspects have links with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based militant group that India has repeatedly accused of carrying out attacks on its soil. India launched strikes on alleged militant bases in Pakistan in May after tourists were killed in Pahalgam, a Himalayan summer resort in Kashmir.
The strikes led to four days of clashes between the countries. New Delhi has said any act of terrorism by Pakistan-linked groups will be considered an act of war.
New Delhi was last rocked by blasts in 2008, when five co-ordinated explosions happened within five minutes at busy markets, killing 25 people.
