The conspirators of the Delhi blast will not be spared as the probe agencies will get to the bottom of the case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday as the death toll in the explosion rose to 13 and injuries to 20 others. Sources said that the occupant of the car in which the explosion occurred on Monday evening was likely to be Dr Umar Mohammad, a resident of Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Delhi Police registered an FIR under the The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Act in connection with the blast.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security review meeting in the wake of the blast. Shah had earlier said that “all possibilities are being explored and a thorough investigation will be conducted, taking all options into account.”
The national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals. Explosion happened in slow-moving vehicle around 6.52 pm., says Delhi Police Commissioner. PM Modi spoke to Amit Shah on the phone from Bhutan and took stock of the ongoing investigation in the Red Fort blast case, said a senior government official.
The high-intensity blast took place in a car at a traffic signal near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro station, officials said. The blast occurred hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 3,000 kg of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad in Haryana. Sources said that Dr Umar Mohammad, who owned the car, reportedly panicked and triggered the blast near the Red Fort after investigators arrested two key members of the module - Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather - and seized the explosives. Ammonium nitrate, which was found in Faridabad, was used in the blast, sources added
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced an ex gratia of ₹10 ,00,000 for the families of each of those killed in the blast near the Red Fort. The Chief Minister said that a compensation of ₹500,000 will be provided to those rendered permanently disabled, ₹200,000 to those who sustained serious injuries and Rs 20,000 to those who sustained minor injuries in the blast.
Bus conductor, Uber driver, shopkeeper among dead
The people who died in the blast include an Uber driver, a bus conductor, and a shopkeeper. Many of them were family men, and some were the sole breadwinners in their households. Pankaj Sahni, Dinesh Mishra both Delhi residents, Ashok Kumar and Lokesh Aggarwal from Amroha and Noman, Shamli were the names of some of the victims.