SRINAGAR: A powerful explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station on November 10, evening, tore through the heart of Old Delhi, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 20 others in what investigators now describe as a deliberate terror strike. The blast, which occurred around 6.55 pm on November 10, engulfed vehicles in flames and sent a fireball across the busy Netaji Subhash Marg, just 300 metres from the Red Fort.
Preliminary investigations have traced the attack to a Kashmir-based terror module with alleged links to Pakistan-backed outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), both banned in India. Authorities believe the car used in the blast, a white Hyundai i20 bearing Haryana registration number HR26 CE 7674, was driven by Dr Mohammad Umar Nabi, a 36-year-old physician from Pulwama, Kashmir.
Eyewitnesses described the horrifying scene as “a sudden fireball” that erupted from the vehicle, hurling debris across the road. Six cars, two e-rickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted. “The explosion came from a car in front of my auto; within seconds, everything was burning,” an injured driver told reporters.
Emergency teams rushed victims to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, where heart-wrenching scenes unfolded as families awaited news of their loved ones. Among the dead were tourists from Uttar Pradesh and daily commuters caught in rush-hour traffic.
Ten fire tenders battled the blaze for over 30 minutes before it was brought under control by 7.29 pm. Police and paramilitary units cordoned off the area as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) teams arrived to collect forensic evidence.
Investigations have revealed that the blast is connected to the unearthing of a major terror module in Faridabad, Haryana, just a day earlier, where nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosives, two assault rifles, pistols, timers, detonators, and electronic circuits were recovered. The seizure followed a joint operation involving the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, and the Intelligence Bureau.
Two Kashmiri doctors, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie from Pulwama and Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather from Kulgam, were arrested in Faridabad and Saharanpur, respectively. Both were working in private medical colleges and hospitals in northern India. Their interrogations led to the discovery of the massive explosives cache and pointed towards a broader network of educated professionals being recruited for covert terror operations.
Police sources revealed that Dr Umar, who was in touch with the two arrested doctors, went missing after their detention. He is believed to have fled with an explosive-laden car, possibly panicking after news of the Faridabad bust. CCTV footage captured a masked man driving the same Hyundai i20, parked near the Red Fort Metro Station for nearly three hours before the explosion.
In Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir Police detained Dr Umar’s mother, Shamima Bano, and his two brothers for DNA testing to confirm whether the charred remains found at the blast site belong to him. “We have collected samples from the mother for matching with remains recovered from the scene,” a senior police officer was quoted as having told the media.
Three others, identified as Aamir Rashid, Umar Rashid, and Tariq Malik, all from Pulwama, have been arrested for facilitating the car’s sale and transfer to Umar. Delhi Police traced the vehicle’s ownership trail through multiple transactions from Gurgaon to Ambala, finally ending with Umar’s possession.
Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited LNJP Hospital late Monday night, chaired a high-level review meeting on Tuesday morning with Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, NIA chief Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat joined the meeting virtually.
“No stone will be left unturned; this network ends here,” Shah said in a post on X, adding that central and state agencies were working around the clock to trace remaining members of the module.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Bhutan, said all those responsible “will be brought to justice” and that security agencies would get to the bottom of the conspiracy.
Delhi has been placed on high alert, with security checks tightened across metro stations, airports, railway terminals, and border points. The Lal Qila Metro Station remains closed, and traffic restrictions have been imposed across the Red Fort-Chandni Chowk zone.
The Faridabad module’s bust had already led to the arrest of seven individuals, including clerics and professionals, as part of what authorities describe as a transnational network operating across Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Shopian, Faridabad, and Saharanpur.
Police said the network was responsible for recruiting youth, raising funds through hawala channels, and procuring arms and explosives. The haul included Chinese Star and Beretta pistols, AK-series rifles, and nearly three tonnes of IED-making materials, a stockpile rarely seen in the region.
The attack marks the first major terror strike in the Indian hinterland since 2013, shattering years of relative calm. Ironically, only ten days earlier, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had declared at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture in Delhi that “terrorism in the hinterland has been effectively neutralised”.
The explosion near the Red Fort, a historic symbol of India’s independence and sovereignty, has revived fears that militant groups are expanding their reach from Kashmir’s battlegrounds to India’s urban heartlands.
As multiple agencies continue to comb through CCTV footage, digital communications, and money trails, the exact motive and scale of coordination remain under scrutiny. Investigators are examining whether the explosion was a suicide attack or an accidental detonation during the transportation of explosives.
