Delhi police say car blast being probed under anti-terrorism law
The explosion near Red Fort on Monday evening (Nov 10) killed at least eight people and injured 20.
An investigator examines the site of a car explosion near the historic Red Fort, in Delhi, India, on Nov 11, 2025. (Photo: AP)
NEW DELHI: Indian police are probing a deadly car blast in the capital Delhi under a law used to fight "terrorism", an officer said on Tuesday (Nov 11), as forensic experts sought evidence to establish the cause of the first such blast in the city in more than a decade.
The law, called the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is India's main anti-terrorism law. It is used to investigate and prosecute acts related to "terrorism" and activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
The explosion near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured 20 in the heavily guarded city, sending several states and key facilities into high alert.
SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE
Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Banthia said that Delhi police had registered a case under the anti-terrorism law as well as the explosives act and other criminal laws.
"Investigation is at a preliminary stage and any comment on it will be too premature," Banthia told reporters.
Near the site of the blast in the city's old quarters, a busy market and tourist area, most shops that shut soon after the explosion were yet to open in the early hours of Tuesday.
Forensic experts were seen scouring the site of the blast, which has been sealed since Monday night, and traffic restrictions have been imposed in the area.
Police said a slow-moving car which stopped at a traffic signal exploded just before 7pm. Nearby vehicles were also badly damaged.
The explosion left behind mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi.
There was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed. Police said they were tracing the owner of the car.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that "all angles" were being investigated and security agencies would come to a conclusion soon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of those killed, and said he had "reviewed the situation" with Shah.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi ... may the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a statement.
The prime minister flew out to Bhutan on Tuesday morning on a scheduled visit to the Himalayan neighbour.
ANTI-TERRORISM AGENCIES ON SITE
Both forensic and anti-terrorism agencies were deployed at the blast site, while security was increased across New Delhi.
At dawn on Tuesday, AFP reporters at the site said police white sheets had been erected around the charred remains of vehicles overnight.
Eyewitnesses described to AFP how the car exploded in traffic and how people caught up in the surge of flames were set on fire.
"I saw the car explode while it was moving," said Dharmindra Dhaga, 27.
"People were on fire and we tried to save them ... Cars and people were burning - people inside the cars were burning," he added.
"I was telling the public to save them, rescue them, and get them out. The public was busy making videos and taking photos."
Relatives of the victims gathered outside the nearby Lok Nayak hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
"We at least know that my cousin is here, whether he is injured or not or the extent of his injury, we don't know anything," said a distressed relative who did not want to be named.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said in a statement that the deaths from the explosion were "heartbreaking".
The US State Department said its "hearts are with those affected by the terrible explosion", and that it would "continue to closely monitor the situation".
