8 dead, 24 injured as car explosion near Red Fort rocks Delhi; forensic teams probe terror angle

The blast, which occurred close to Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, triggered a massive fire that engulfed several nearby vehicles and sent panic through the heavily crowded area.

According to visuals, the explosion was so intense that it reduced the vehicle, a Swift Dzire, to mangled metal and shattered windows in the vicinity.

Three to four other vehicles parked nearby also caught fire, sustaining severe damage.

Speaking to the media, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said: "Today at around 6.52 pm, a slow-moving vehicle stopped at the red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged."

"All agencies, FSL, NIA, are here. Some people have died, and some have been injured in the incident. The situation is being monitored. The Home Minister has also called us, and information is being shared with him from time to time," he said.

The injured were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, where eight fatalities were confirmed, said reports.

“It was a very powerful explosion,” NDTV quoted sources in the Delhi Police, adding that forensic and bomb disposal experts were on site to determine the nature of the blast.

Twenty fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and the police swiftly cordoned off the entire area. The Red Fort area, one of Delhi’s busiest tourist zones, was quickly evacuated as a precautionary measure.

"The car in front of me was barely two feet away when it exploded,” NDTV quoted an eyewitness, Zeeshan, an auto-rickshaw driver who was among those injured. “I don’t know whether it was a bomb or something else, but there was a massive fireball.”

Another resident said the impact of the blast was felt from several streets away. “I saw a huge fireball rise into the sky from my terrace. The sound was deafening — it shook the windows of our building,” said a local.

“I was at the gurdwara nearby when the explosion went off. At first, we couldn’t figure out what it was. The sound was that loud,” another witness told NDTV.

The explosion came just hours after authorities in Faridabad, Haryana, recovered a massive cache of suspected explosives from a rented house.

The house was occupied by Dr. Mujammil Shakeel, a physician from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Investigators say Shakeel is believed to be part of a “white-collar terror ecosystem” involving radicalised professionals who provide logistical and technical support to extremist groups.

The joint operation between the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir Police over the past two weeks led to the seizure of more than 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making material.

Officials are now probing whether there is any link between the Faridabad seizure and the Delhi explosion.

Following the Red Fort blast, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have been placed on high alert. Security has been beefed up at metro stations, markets, and key installations across the national capital.

Senior officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Delhi Police Special Cell are at the blast site, assisting in evidence collection and coordinating with forensic teams to establish the origin and composition of the explosive.

The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of India’s most visited landmarks, is located in the densely populated old Delhi area, making the explosion particularly alarming from a public safety standpoint.

As investigations continue, authorities have urged citizens to remain calm but vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.