Indian police are investigating a car explosion that killed eight people outside Delhi’s historic Red Fort under an anti-terror law, as they focus on the final movements of the vehicle involved.
The explosion on Monday occurred at about 7pm, a peak time when Delhi’s old city is usually packed with people and traffic.
The Delhi police commissioner, Satish Golcha, said the explosion had happened after a “slow-moving vehicle” stopped at a red light outside the Red Fort metro station.
The blast started a fire that ripped through nearby cars, motorcycles and rickshaws and shattered the windows of a Sikh place of worship 500 metres away. As well as the eight people killed, about 20 were injured.
The cause of the explosion had not been confirmed by Tuesday evening, but increasingly strongly worded statements from senior government ministers indicated they did not see it as an accident.
The home minister, Amit Shah, said he had instructed senior officials to “hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident”. “Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies,” he said.
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, said: “The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.”
The Delhi police spokesperson, Sanjay Tyagi, said investigators were “probing all possible angles, including a terror attack, an accidental blast or any kind of failure in the car”. Officials were waiting on an explosives report from the forensics team, he said.
Delhi police confirmed they had filed a case under India’s draconian anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The home ministry confirmed that the case had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency, India’s counter-terror force.
Witnesses to the Red Fort blast said they saw limbs ripped from bodies and scattered on the roads. “I saw the car explode while it was moving,” Dharmindra Dhaga, 27, told Agence France-Presse. “People were on fire and we tried to save them … Cars and people were burning – people inside the cars were burning.”
Jai, 49, a shopkeeper, said the blast was so loud it damaged his hearing. “I heard a noise so loud my ears got blocked. Then I saw car parts flying and scattered body parts,” he said.
According to reports, investigators have turned their focus to the final movements of the vehicle in which the explosion is believed to have originated. 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 car park in the Old Delhi area close to the Red Fort at about 3pm and remaining there for about three hours while the driver – who appeared to be wearing a mask – stayed in the vehicle. The driver was reported to have driven the car into Delhi from Haryana on Monday morning.
India remains on high alert, with extra security measures imposed at airports and along border areas. The financial capital, Mumbai, was also put under high alert.
The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, said findings of the inquiry would soon be made public. “I want to firmly assure the nation that those responsible for this tragedy will be brought to justice and will not be spared under any circumstances,” he said.
