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How Red Fort mayhem unfolded: Signal turned red at 6:52 pm, car halted, exploded
Several people nearby were blown apart, their body parts strewn. Multiple cars caught fire, and windowpanes were blown, buildings shook — all within an instant
During peak hours near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening, a car came to a halt near the metro station in the midst of slow-moving traffic. The time was 6:52 pm; the signal had turned red. Just then, the car exploded.
Several people nearby were blown apart, their body parts strewn, police and eyewitnesses said as they described the sequence of events. Multiple other cars caught fire; windowpanes were blown, buildings trembled.
Eight people died, as per the latest information by 11 pm. The reason for the car blast remained under investigation.
Just after the high-intensity blast, it took about three minutes for someone to call the fire brigade.
Where did the blast occur?
The call came in at 6:55/6:56 pm, a note shared by the Delhi fire department said: “CALL TYPE: Some kind of Blast and Vehicle Fire, ADDRESS: Lal Qila metro Station Gate No.1 near Gauri Shankar Mandir.”
The spot on Subhash Marg is in a central tourist area, and generally sees rush of locals too, with Chandni Chowk and other major spots within walking distance. The place has a number of places of worship.
The facade of the Mughal-era fort proper is several metres from the blast spot, but its lawns are right across the road.
Reasons yet unknown — fears and speculation peaking — cops from Delhi Police and some central agencies reached the spot.
By 7:30, one death was confirmed by officials. Twenty minutes later, news also came in from the LNJP Hospital nearby. The toll then went up to eight.
Fear echoes across India, online
High alert was, meanwhile, sounded across the national capital after the explosion near the 17th-century sandstone fort. The imposing monument remains a symbol of government, and the Prime Minister speaks from its ramparts on August 15, India's Independence Day.
Multiple big cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata were put on alert immediately. Entire states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat were among those that followed.
Back at the spot, officers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is tasked with probing terrorism-related and other crimes that affect national security, also reached.
Forensic evidence was being gathered while social media went abuzz recalling major blasts in Delhi, including the more recent terror attack outside the high court in 2011 and the serial blasts that occurred almost to the day 20 years ago. There was more immediate feed for the fear too — a massive terror module busted in neighbouring Faridabad, Haryana, just hours earlier on Monday. The Bihar election, with its second and final round of voting next morning, also found its way into social media conversations.
But no terror connection with the Red Fort blast was made by the investigators as of 10 pm.
“There is no crater at the spot, so we cannot say if it is a bomb blast. Also, no pellet or splinter injuries have been reported so far, which are common in bomb explosions," a senior officer told HT. It was not immediately clear if CNG cylinders or fuel tank of the car exploded.
Investigation underway: ‘All angles being probed’
PM Narendra Modi had already spoken to home minister Amit Shah, who was constantly in touch by now with Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha.
Shah, whose ministry controls the Delhi police, addressed the media and said all possibilities were being investigated.
Modi posted on X at 9:42 pm: “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials.”
Other leaders such as Congress's Rahul Gandhi and AAP's Arvind Kejriwal posted condolences too. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta expressed grief, as did President Droupadi Murmu. The CM urged citizens to avoid rumours.
It was police commissioner Golcha who gave the time of the blast.
“At around 6.52 PM, a slow-moving vehicle stopped at the red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” the commissioner told reporters.
Later, Shah identified the vehicle as a Hyundai i20 hatchback.
Scenes from the spot
“I never heard such a loud explosion ever in my life. I fell three times due to the explosion. It felt as if we were all going to die,” a local shopkeeper told news agency ANI.
Another local resident said that when they neared the scene, “we saw body parts spread on the road”.
"I could not believe what it was. When we saw someone's (severed) hand on the road, we were absolutely shocked. I can't explain it in words," he said.
An auto driver, Zeeshan, who got injured due to the blast, told news agency PTI that a car in front of him, "about two feet away", caught fire. "I don’t know whether there was a bomb in it or something else, but it exploded," he said.
