Indian police are investigating a deadly car explosion in central New Delhi under anti-terrorism legislation, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that those responsible “will not be spared.”
At least eight people were killed and more than 20 injured when a slow-moving car stopped at a traffic signal near Gate 1 of Lal Qila metro station—adjacent to the historic Red Fort—exploded just before 7 p.m. on Monday. Several nearby vehicles were destroyed, leaving mangled wreckage across the congested road.
Police said there was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed in the explosion. Investigators said they were tracing the ownership records of the vehicle.
Raja Banthia, a senior police officer at the scene, said a case had been registered under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a law typically used for terrorism investigations. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), the federal counter-terrorism body, has taken charge of the probe.
Modi, who arrived in Bhutan on an official visit on Tuesday, said he had been tracking developments with investigating agencies overnight. “The conspirators behind this will not be spared,” he said during a public address in Thimphu. “Our agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. All those responsible will be brought to justice.”
“The horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,” he added. “Today I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart.”
Home Minister Amit Shah visited the blast site on Monday night and chaired a meeting of security officials on Tuesday morning, but no details of the investigation have yet been made public.
India has frequently accused Pakistan of supporting militant groups responsible for attacks on Indian soil. A series of deadly attacks earlier this year in Indian-administered Kashmir triggered several days of armed exchanges between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Modi’s government has previously said any future attack could be treated as an “act of war.”
Officials said investigators were examining “all angles,” including the possibility of a terrorist attack. Monday’s explosion was the deadliest in India’s capital in more than a decade.