Delhi Blast: 10 Key Things We Know So Far About Explosion Near Red Fort

Nine people were killed and 20 injured after a high-intensity explosion ripped through a car with passengers in the high-security Red Fort area in Delhi on Monday evening. The Delhi Police have invoked UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) sections after forensic evidence and intelligence inputs pointed to possible terror links.

While initial information continues to emerge here is what we know so far:

• A powerful explosion was reported near Red Fort, Delhi, around 6:52 p.m., reportedly involving Hyundai i20 at a traffic junction close to the metro station.

• Nine people are dead and 20 injured, officials told NDTV.

• Twenty fire engines were rushed to the spot with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said. The anti-terror squad and Delhi Police Special Cell are on the spot to assess the situation.

• Security has been heightened in Delhi and neighbouring states, with checks intensified at key public and transit points.

• The cause of the explosion is yet to be officially confirmed. Agencies are examining all possibilities as part of the investigation.

• The Delhi Police have invoked UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) sections after forensic evidence and intelligence inputs pointed to possible terror links.

• One of the owners of the Hyundai i20 is a man from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, sources told NDTV hours after the explosion. Police in Haryana's Gurugram confirmed the arrest of a Mohd Salman, the original owner of the i20 bearing the number plate HR26 CE 7674. However, Salman told the police he had sold the car – to a man called Tariq, who hails from J&K's Pulwama. It is unclear at this point if Tariq then re-sold the car to a third party.

• The blast took place on a day a massive haul of 2,900 kg of explosives was found just 50 km from the capital, in neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed and is monitoring the situation, according to preliminary reports. “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,” PM Modi wrote on X.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has condoled the loss of lives in the high-intensity blast near the iconic Red Fort in Delhi, and informed that the top agencies in the country are investigating the incident with full intensity, and that they will go in-depth into the incident. He went to the blast site and also visited the LNJP hospital to meet the injured.