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Police were investigating the explosion outside Delhi’s historic Red Fort that killedeight people, with authorities focusing on the final movements of the vehicle allegedly involved.
Police said the explosion occurred around 7pm on Monday evening outside the Red Fort metro station, a peak time when Delhi’s old city is usually packed with people, bustling markets and heavy traffic.
Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha said the explosion took place after a “slow moving vehicle” stopped at a red light outside the metro station.
Eight people were killed in the blast and around 20 injured. The force of the explosion started a fire that ripped through nearby cars, motorcycles and rickshaws and shattered the windows of a gurdwara, or Sikh place of worship, 500 metres away.
Witnesses said they had seen limbs ripped from bodies and scattered on the roads. “I saw the car explode while it was moving,” Dharmindra Dhaga, 27, told AFP. “People were on fire and we tried to save them... Cars and people were burning – people inside the cars were burning.”
The cause of the blast remained unknown by Tuesday morning, as forensic teams and investigators from India’s federal anti-terror agency and National Investigation Agency probed the site. Police have filed a case under the country’s draconian anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the explosive act, according to Indian media.
According to the reports, investigators have turned their focus on the final movements of the vehicle which is alleged to have caused the explosion. On Monday night, two people were detained who were linked to the Hyundai car, which was registered in the neighbouring state of Haryana.
CCTV footage is reported to show the car driving into a parking lot in the Old Delhi area close to the Red Fort at around 3pm and remaining there for around three hours, while the driver – who appeared to be wearing a mask – remained in the vehicle.
Home minister Amit Shah said that they were “investigating all possible angles”, adding it was “very difficult to say what caused the incident” until forensic samples had been analysed.
In the aftermath, the country remained on high alert with extra security measures imposed at airports and along the border areas. India’s financial capital Mumbai was also put under high alert.
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”.
