Highlights
- Death toll from Delhi car blast climbs to 12, over 30 injured
- NIA leads probe amid arrests of men linked to Pakistan-based groups
- Police investigating possible link between Delhi blast and Kashmir raids
- PM Modi calls explosion a “conspiracy”, vows those responsible will face justice
INDIA’s anti-terrorism agency continued investigations on Wednesday into a car blast in Delhi as the death toll rose to 12, according to hospital officials.
Police have not yet confirmed what triggered the explosion, which was the most serious security incident since April 22, when 26 mainly Hindu civilians were killed at the Pahalgam tourist site in Indian-administered Kashmir, leading to clashes with Pakistan.
“Twelve people have died and more than 30 are injured,” Ritu Saxena, chief medical officer of Delhi’s LNJP Hospital, told AFP.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is leading the probe. The explosion came hours after police said they had arrested a group of men and seized explosives and assault rifles. Police said the men were linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based Islamist group, and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a Kashmir offshoot of Al-Qaeda. India lists both as terrorist organisations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the explosion a “conspiracy” and said those responsible would face justice. The blast occurred on Monday evening near the Red Fort in Old Delhi, one of the city’s busiest areas and the site of the prime minister’s annual Independence Day address.
Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security meeting following the blast and said he had instructed officials “to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident.”
Three sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters that police are probing whether there is a link between the Delhi blast and the earlier arrest of seven men from Jammu and Kashmir who were allegedly found with arms and bomb-making materials.
Authorities are investigating the blast under anti-terror laws and have said all possible angles are being examined. No arrests have been made in connection with the explosion so far.
Earlier on Monday, police in Jammu and Kashmir said they had arrested seven men, including two doctors, during raids conducted in Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Police said the searches led to the recovery of two pistols, two assault rifles, and 2,900 kg of bomb-making material.
“The investigation has revealed a white collar terror ecosystem, involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers, operating from Pakistan and other countries,” a Kashmir police statement said. It added that the men were linked to Pakistan-based groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Pakistan’s foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the insurgency since 1989, although violence has reduced in recent years.
Reuters sources said investigators are examining whether the driver of the Delhi car involved in the explosion was a doctor and a colleague of one of the two arrested in Kashmir. Officials from the Delhi Police and the NIA did not respond to requests for comment.
Following the blast, Kashmir police carried out raids at hundreds of locations across the region and detained about 500 people, a police source said. Most were released after questioning.
In April, 26 Hindu tourists were killed in an attack in Kashmir which India blamed on Islamist militants supported by Pakistan. The incident triggered the worst military conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries in decades before they agreed to a ceasefire after four days.
(With inputs from agencies)
