India PM Modi vows not to spare those behind Delhi car blast
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NEW DELHI – The Indian police are probing a deadly car blast in the capital New Delhi under a law used to fight terrorism, an officer said on Nov 11, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible.
The explosion near the historic Red Fort on the evening of Nov 10 killed at least eight people and injured 20
“Today, I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart,” Mr Modi said in Thimphu, the capital of the neighbouring Himalayan nation, as he arrived on Nov 11 for a scheduled visit.
“The horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,” he told a public meeting.
“Our agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.”
Search for evidence
Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Banthia said that the Delhi police had registered a case under the anti-terrorism law as well as the Explosives Act and other criminal laws.
The law, called the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is India’s main anti-terrorism law. It is used to investigate and prosecute acts related to terrorism and activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
“Investigation is at a preliminary stage and any comment on it will be too premature,” he told reporters.
Forensic experts inspecting the blast site on Nov 11.
PHOTO: AFP
Near the site of the blast in the city’s old quarter, a busy market and tourist area, most shops that shut soon after the explosion were yet to open in the early hours of Nov 11.
Forensic experts were seen scouring the site of the blast, which has been sealed since the night of Nov 10 and traffic restrictions imposed in the area.
Delhi Metro said the Red Fort station had been shut for security reasons.
The police said a slow-moving car that stopped at a traffic signal exploded just before 7pm local time (9.30pm in Singapore). Nearby vehicles were also badly damaged.
The explosion left behind mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi.
There was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed. The police said they were tracing the owner of the car.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said on Nov 10 that “all angles” were being investigated, and that security agencies would come to a conclusion soon.
Relatives of the victims gathered outside the nearby Lok Nayak hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
“We at least know that my cousin is here, whether he is injured or not or the extent of his injury, we don’t know anything,” said a distressed relative who did not want to be named.
Modi in Bhutan
The Red Fort, known locally as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, and is visited by tourists throughout the year.
The prime minister also addresses the nation from the fort’s ramparts every year on Aug 15, India’s Independence Day.
Mr Modi is in Bhutan for the 70th birthday celebrations of its fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
In April, Mr Modi cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and returned home after 26 men were killed in an attack on Hindu tourists in the Jammu and Kashmir territory.
New Delhi blamed that attack on what it called Islamist terrorists backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.
The crisis led to the worst military conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades before they agreed to a ceasefire after four days. REUTERS
