Red Fort blast kills 10 Suspected white collar terror network triggers Nationwide alert

A high-intensity car explosion near the Red Fort metro station in Delhi on Monday evening left at least ten people dead and 24 injured, hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with Haryana authorities, recovered a massive cache of highly flammable chemicals in Faridabad. The twin incidents have raised alarm over the evolving threat of cross-state terrorism and the involvement of highly educated individuals in extremist networks.

The Red Fort blast occurred near Gate No. 1 of the metro station during a busy evening when the area was crowded with commuters and shoppers. Witnesses described a deafening explosion that gutted multiple vehicles, including six cars, two e-rickshaws, and an auto-rickshaw. Videos circulated on social media showed bodies lying near the wreckage, fire engulfing vehicles, and debris scattered across the road. The Delhi Fire Service dispatched ten fire tenders to the site, bringing the fire under control by 7:29 pm. Authorities said the blast shattered windows of vehicles and buildings in the vicinity, and the sound was heard several kilometres away, including at ITO.

Eyewitnesses described the blast as originating from a parked Hyundai i20 near the traffic signal on Subhas Marg, close to the Red Fort . “There was a Hyundai i20 in front of my auto. There was something in that car that suddenly blasted,” one injured person said. Another witness added, “I was at the gurdwara when I heard a strong sound the entire building shook.” Panic spread across the Chandni Chowk market, with people running for safety as fire and smoke billowed.

Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir Police, acting on intelligence inputs, raided a rented house in Faridabad’s Dhauj area. They recovered 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, arms, ammunition, timers, and bomb-making material. Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a medical student from Pulwama, and Dr Aadil Ahmad Rather, a former doctor at Government Medical College, Anantnag, were arrested. Investigators said the operation exposed a “white-collar” terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, spanning Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 2,900 kg of explosives seized during the larger operation, and eight people have been arrested so far, including doctors from Kashmir and Lucknow. An AK-47 rifle was recovered from Dr Shaheen’s car, a female doctor taken to Srinagar for interrogation.

Security agencies have placed Delhi on high alert, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Delhi Police’s Special Cell investigating the blast site. Officials have not ruled out a connection between the Faridabad seizure and the Red Fort explosion. Analysts warn that the combination of urban hideouts, professional recruits, and advanced stocks of highly flammable chemicals indicates a more sophisticated approach by extremist networks.

The incidents underscore the pressing need for enhanced inter-state coordination, digital surveillance, and preventive strategies targeting radicalisation among students and professionals. Authorities continue to investigate the wider network behind both the haul of highly flammable chemicals in Faridabad and the deadly blast in Delhi.