Modi Calls Red Fort Blast ‘Conspiracy’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday labelled the chilling car bomb explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort as a “conspiracy” and vowed that all those behind it would be brought to justice. The blast, which hit multiple vehicles on Monday evening, killed at least eight and injured at least 19 others. Marking one of the worst security incidents in the capital in years.
The explosion struck close to Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort, one of India’s most recognisable forts. Flames engulfed multiple parked vehicles, shattered windows nearby and sent shocked and panic-stricken bystanders fleeing.
“I assure everyone that the agencies will get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy,” Modi said while on a state visit to Bhutan. He also stressed, “All those responsible will be brought to justice.” Speculation that the blast could have been terror-related has increased, although officials have yet to make an official announcement.
NIA Takes Over Investigation of Possible Terror Act.
Indian authorities have not labelled the explosion a terror attack, at least for now, until forensic testing is complete. However, the Home Affairs Ministry has put out a statement to say that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) — India’s principal counter-terror agency has formally taken over the investigation. Home Minister Amit Shah, who chaired a high-level security meeting on Tuesday, ordered a nationwide alert and told the agencies. He also vowed “to hunt each and every person responsible for this incident.” In a statement, “Every person involved in this act will face the full force of our agencies.”
Urgency of the investigation was raised from reports that, just before the bombing. Delhi Police arrests a gang linked to terror in Faridabad and seized explosive material and assault rifles. The suspects are reported to be connected with a Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind in Kashmir. Both groups are banned in India.
Horror Breaks Out around Red Fort and LNJP Hospital
Eyewitnesses provided an alarming account of the events that transpired after the explosion. Dharmindra Dhaga, 27, from nearby, described a scene of foot and vehicular inferno.
“There were people on fire and we were attempting to pull them out. There was a fire–people were burning in the cars,” Dhaga told AFP. “I was shouting at onlookers to assist folks, but some people were consumed with filming it.”
When the first blast victims arrived at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, the emergency ward was flooded with severely burned and shrapnel patients. While family looked for their relatives, doctors and nurses attended to patients through the night needing emergency care.
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, A.K. Malik, reported five fatalities at the site. The Press Trust of India (PTI) later reported the death toll increased to 12, which hasn’t been validated.
Regional Tensions and War of Words with Pakistan
The blast has increased tensions once again between India and Pakistan, only months after the Pahalgam attack in Indian occupied Kashmir that involved gunmen killing 26 people which were mostly Hindu pilgrims. That attack led to cross-border fire in May which resulted in more than 70 deaths before a ceasefire.
On Tuesday, a suicide bombing in Islamabad killed at least 12 people, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif specifically accused India of supporting “terrorist proxies.” India rejected that statement and called it “baseless and unfounded.”
“In another predictable tactic, Pakistan has fabricated a false narrative against India to distract from its own internal issues,” said Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry, in a statement.
Nation on Alert Following the forensic teams sifting through the debris, and a more intense investigation from the National Investigation Agency, Delhi is on high alert. Security has been stepped up around government buildings, metro stations and the area around the Red Fort.
As India deals with its first significant security breach of the capital in months, investigators are working to put all the pieces together of what the prime minister has termed “a carefully calibrated conspiracy,” one which has the potential to heighten regional tensions at a sensitive moment for South Asia.
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