🚨 Red Fort (Lal Qila) Car Blast: In-Depth Report (November 11, 2025)

 🚨 Red Fort (Lal Qila) Car Blast: In-Depth Report (November 11, 2025)

The investigation into the powerful car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station continues at an intensive pace. The death toll has tragically risen to 8 or 9 people (with some sources reporting 13), and over 20 are injured, many critically. The incident, occurring on Monday evening, has put Delhi and surrounding states on high alert as security agencies race to determine the cause and potential motive.

I. Incident Details and Aftermath

📍 The Scene of the Blast

 * Time: Approximately 6:52 PM IST, Monday, November 10, 2025.

 * Location: Subhash Marg traffic signal, directly adjacent to Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, a highly congested area opposite the Chandni Chowk pedestrian stretch.

 * Target Vehicle: A Hyundai i20 car with a Haryana registration number plate, which had reportedly slowed or stopped at the red light.

 * Impact: The explosion was described by witnesses as being "massive" and powerful enough to shatter windows in nearby buildings, 700 to 900 meters away. The force resulted in "mangled bodies" and widespread panic.

 * Collateral Damage: The blast and ensuing fire completely gutted the i20 and damaged at least 6 to 12 other vehicles nearby, including cars, motorcycles, and e-rickshaws.

💔 Casualties

 * Fatalities: Currently confirmed between 8 and 9 victims (some reports state 13).

 * Injuries: Over 20 people injured, rushed to LNJP (Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan) Hospital. Delhi Police confirmed that three people were seated inside the i20 when it exploded.

 * Critical Observation: A senior police officer noted that the injured did not show any pellet or puncture marks, which is unusual in a conventional bomb blast, raising questions about the nature of the explosive material used.

II. The Ongoing Investigation

🔍 Agencies Involved and Official Stance

 * Investigating Bodies: Teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Delhi Police Special Cell, and Crime Branch are on site. An NSG team with sniffer dogs is also conducting a deep inspection.

 * Official Cause Status: The cause remains officially undetermined. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that all angles are being probed and that it is "difficult to say what caused the incident until the samples recovered from the blast site are analysed."

 * Initial Hypotheses: Investigators are exploring multiple possibilities: a sophisticated Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a high-intensity commercial explosive, or a massive technical failure possibly involving a CNG cylinder (though initial reports on CNG are unconfirmed).

🚗 Tracing the Exploded Vehicle

 * Car Details: The Hyundai i20 bore a Haryana registration number plate.

 * Detention and Questioning: Delhi Police detained the registered owner, Md Salman, from Gurugram.

 * Ownership Trail: Salman told police he had already sold the vehicle. Police are currently tracing the subsequent ownership, which reportedly led to a man named Tariq from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir (as per NDTV sources), adding a potential terror angle to the investigation.

III. Security Context and Political Response

 * Heightened Alert: A high alert has been sounded across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra. Security has been tightened at all major public locations, including the Vaishno Devi Shrine.

 * Security Context: The explosion occurred just hours after security forces in Faridabad, Haryana, foiled a major terror module, seizing nearly 2,900 kg of bomb-making material, including ammonium nitrate, and arresting several suspects. The current investigation is looking into any potential links between these two incidents.

 * VIP Visits: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation with the Home Minister. Home Minister Amit Shah visited the blast site and the injured victims at LNJP Hospital. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta also visited the injured.

The final, definitive report on the cause and perpetrators is pending the analysis of forensic evidence recovered by the NSG and FSL.

Would you like me to focus on the terror angle and the connection to the Pulwama/Faridabad inciden

ts for a follow-up article?