NEW DELHI — A devastating car explosion rocked the heart of India’s capital near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more, authorities confirmed, according to “Hurriyet Daily News”.
The white Hyundai i20 vehicle came to a halt at a red light near Gate 1 of the Red Fort metro station, then detonated in a fiery blast at approximately 6:52 p.m. local time. Witnesses described “an ear-shattering boom,” bodies and vehicle parts strewn across the street, and flames shooting high into the air.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking from Bhutan where he is on a state visit, denounced the attack as a “conspiracy,” promising that “those responsible will not be spared.”
Investigators quickly invoked India’s terror-law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and opened a case under explosive and anti-terror provisions. Forensic teams scoured the blast site, while intelligence sources revealed traces of ammonium-nitrate compounds and links to a larger terror module uncovered earlier in Haryana’s Faridabad district.
Security forces responded by sealing off the Old Delhi quarter, closing the metro station at the site and ramping up patrols across neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Though the full death toll has yet to be finalised, some reports place it at nine or more, the emotional shock rippled through the city, once again highlighting the vulnerability of India’s symbolic landmarks.
Modi, who described the episode from the Himalayan foothills, urged unity and calm: “Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy,” he said. “The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.”
As New Delhi re-opens for business the next morning, the city underlined the unsettling fact that even its most iconic quarters are not immune. Authorities remain on high alert and the investigation has only just begun.
