Indian police are investigating a deadly car explosion in New Delhi under an anti-terrorism law, officials have said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to apprehend those responsible for what he called a “conspiracy” behind the blast.
Police were still to give details on Tuesday on what caused the explosion near the Indian capital’s historic Red Fort, but officials said that the case had been registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, India’s main “anti-terrorism” law, giving investigators broader powers to detain suspects.
India’s “anti-terrorism” force, the National Investigation Agency, is leading the probe, the home affairs ministry said.
Monday’s explosion in a Hyundai i20 car has killed at least 12 people and injured 20, although there is some confusion over the exact number of dead due to the condition of the bodies of the dead after the blast.
The explosion, outside a busy metro station near one of India’s most iconic sites, was the first significant security incident since a shooting attack in April that left 26 dead in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, sparking clashes with Pakistan.
“I assure everyone that the agencies will get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy,” Modi said, in a speech during a state visit to neighbouring Bhutan, without giving further details.
“All those involved will be brought to justice.”
Blast ‘shaken sense of security’ in India
Reporting from close to the site of the blast, journalist Ishan Garg said the explosion had “shaken the sense of security” of Indians in the capital and further afield.
“The blast has sent the entire nation into a state of alert,” Garg told Al Jazeera, as he stood in front of the cordoned-off site of the explosion near the historic Red Fort, where investigators are carrying out their work.
He said heavy security had been deployed in the heart of the Indian capital, while the city’s borders were also under tight scrutiny.
Officials in states including Rajasthan and Odisha said they were ramping up security in the wake of the blast.
Faridabad link investigated
Indian media outlets, citing police sources, reported that investigators believe the explosion may be linked to raids on a suspected “terror” cell and the seizure of a large cache of explosive material in the city of Faridabad hours before the blast.
Faridabad, an industrial district in the neighbouring Haryana state, lies just 30km (18 miles) from the area in Delhi where Monday’s blast took place.
Prior to the blast, a large cache of explosives was reportedly seized in Faridabad, while in Indian-administered Kashmir, two Kashmiri doctors were arrested, including one from Faridabad. The car involved in the explosion was linked to one of the arrested doctors, according to reports.
Citing police sources, the Press Trust of India news agency reported that police had traced the route of the vehicle involved in the explosion from Faridabad to New Delhi’s Red Fort, using CCTV footage and data from a toll plaza to map out its 11-hour route.
According to the agency, the vehicle was first seen outside Asian Hospital in Faridabad, before it was seen crossing a toll plaza and entering Delhi at 8:13am (02:43 GMT).
At 3:19pm (09:49 GMT), the car entered a parking area near the Red Fort, where it remained for nearly three hours.
Then at 6:22pm (12:52 GMT), it left the car park and moved towards the Red Fort, where an explosion occurred 24 minutes later, the agency reported.
