Twelve people lost their lives and more than twenty others were injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a car near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, leaving the area filled with smoke, panic, and screams. Survivors and families of the victims recalled the horror that unfolded in what was once an ordinary evening.
“People were lying on the road, some bleeding, some not moving at all. There was blood everywhere. We saw death from up close,” said Ram Pratap, a roadside eatery owner from Bihar, speaking from his hospital bed with his right arm tightly bandaged. Pratap was preparing to close his stall when the blast occurred. “It was just another evening. A few customers were waiting when suddenly there was a loud blast. The noise was so strong I could not hear anything for a few seconds. Glass shards fell on us, and thick smoke engulfed everything,” he said.
Outside the hospital, one of his relatives said, “There was a flash, then fire, then thick black smoke. I froze. I could not find my brother. People were shouting names, crying, searching for their families. For a few minutes, no one knew who was alive.”
A few meters away from Pratap’s stall, water tanker operator Vijender Yadav was finishing his day’s work when the explosion threw him to the ground. “My clothes were soaked in blood. I saw bodies on the road, pieces of glass and flesh scattered everywhere,” he said, his head wrapped in bandages. Yadav, who hails from Saharsa in Bihar, added, “That sound is still ringing in my ears. I thought I would never see my wife and children again. This fear will stay with me forever.”
Among the victims was 18-year-old Nauman Ansari from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, who had come to Delhi to buy stock for his small cosmetics shop. His uncle, Furkan, said, “Nauman was killed on the spot while his cousin Aman is injured and being treated at Lok Nayak Hospital.” The family is now preparing to take his body home for burial.
Other victims included DTC conductor Ashok Kumar, 34, from Amroha, and taxi driver Pankaj Sahini, 22, from Bihar. Pankaj’s uncle, Ramdev Sahni, said, “We got a call from Kotwali police station about his death. They said the back of his head was blown off. The car was completely destroyed.”
Police said that the investigations have revealed that the car involved in the blast was driven by Dr. Umar Nabi, a Pulwama-based doctor linked to a terror module recently busted in Faridabad. Police believe Umar was carrying explosives, possibly ammonium nitrate, in his Hyundai i20 car when it exploded near the Red Fort Metro station. His DNA is being matched with remains found at the site. Officials said Umar may have carried out a suicide attack after learning that his associates were arrested.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe following a review meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah. Two doctors from Al Falah University in Faridabad, Dr. Muzammil Ganaie and Dr. Shaheen Sayeed, have been arrested. Police said Shaheen is believed to have led Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women’s recruitment wing in India.
CCTV footage shows the car’s movement from Faridabad early Monday morning to Delhi, passing through several areas before parking near Red Fort for nearly three hours. It later exploded around 6:52 p.m.
Police have placed the national capital under high alert, with strict checks at airports, railway stations, and bus terminals. Security has been tightened at Delhi’s borders, and hotels and guest houses in Daryaganj and Paharganj have been searched for possible suspects.
“The car’s final half-hour before the blast is our key focus,” said a senior police officer. “We are analysing CCTV footage to identify anyone who came in contact with the vehicle.”
Traffic restrictions have been imposed around Red Fort, and the Metro station remains closed as investigators continue piecing together what led to one of Delhi’s deadliest explosions in recent years.
