Delhi Red Fort blast: eyewitnesses recount scene of horror

The evening bustle at the Red Fort and its adjoining markets on November 10 was progressing as usual. Vendors were arranging their goods, customers were bargaining, and commuters were stepping in and out of the metro gates. Unbeknownst to them, within minutes they would become part of one of the deadliest disasters in Delhi in the past decade.

At 6:52 PM, the crowd near the Red Fort Metro station froze as an explosion of immense force tore through the evening sky. Many stood numb to the blast, while some ran towards the spot — some out of morbid curiosity, others in fear and concern for the injured.

“I rushed to the spot hoping to help but what I saw devastated me. Everyone was running here and there trying to get someone or the other to safety. There was so much panic that the entire scene just stopped making sense,” said Shailender Ojha, a shopkeeper near the Jain Mandir.

Chaos and devastation across the market

The scene that followed showed debris lying hither and thither, car parts spread across a 300 metre threshold, and pools of blood marking the road. The carnage was visible everywhere. The blast did not just cause mortal human suffering — the losses suffered by businesses were staggering as well.

Rafiq Alam, a fruit seller who usually sits in front of Gate No 2 of the Red Fort Metro station, suffered the loss of almost all of his fruits. “I am just glad that I survived the blast. Many were not fortunate enough to avoid the blast. At least I was at a fair enough distance to avoid being caught up in the carnage. It could have happened to anybody if they were unfortunate enough. I have just lost a couple of custard apples and a few other fruits — some here have lost lives,” he said.

The intensity of the blast was much stronger than anticipated, which made even onlookers from the nearby shops stare in absolute angst. The shops themselves also bore a significant amount of the brunt.

Ravi Mishra, a grocery store owner near Gate No 1 Metro Station at the Red Fort, described how the blast’s impact could be felt across the market area, with debris raining near the shops. “There was just a lot of random stuff falling from the sky. One such piece of debris came in the form of a car part that landed right in front of the market’s gates by a flight of stairs,” he said while picking up the car part from a dumping space.

Similarly, he highlighted that the destruction extended to a thin metal pole set atop an outhouse near the market, which had been twisted by the force of the blast. “We thought that the debris would fall on us. I thought I would die by the end of it since this space is also where I live,” Mishra said.

Eyewitnesses attempt to understand what happened

For some, the suffering was deeply personal.

Still reeling from the blast almost half an hour after it, Raghav Kumar stood waiting to see how the scene unfolds — quietly wishing for the culprits to be caught right then and there — however, that was not to happen. Each time he stood close to the scene of the crime, he was rushed away by the police securing the area. Yet he kept coming back, doing nothing but observing. According to him, he needed to understand what had happened because of the amount of carnage he had witnessed.

“I saw almost 20 bodies being loaded onto ambulances. The injured were covered in blood, and even then they were trying to help the ones stuck under the rubble out. There were not enough ambulances so they placed one body over the other. It was extremely chaotic with my ears still ringing from the blast. I tried helping a few of them out but by then the police had arrived,” said Kumar, a shopkeeper’s helper at the market.

Another eyewitness, Ashish, a resident of Daryaganj, described the horrific sight of people on fire. “There were people who were ablaze. We could see people burning to their deaths inside the car. We heard a lot of commotion even when we were running to the spot from the Jain Mandir market. When I reached my friends were already helping a few of them out. There was blood strewn all around. It was harrowing,” he said.

Initial investigation suggests suicide attack

According to the Delhi Police, initial investigation reveals that the explosion near the Red Fort on November 10, which killed at least 13 people, was a ‘Fidayeen’ (suicide) attack.

Officials believe that the suspect planned the suicide attack as soon as he learned that the Faridabad module had been busted. On November 11, Delhi Police registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act. The national capital has since been placed on high alert, with strict vigilance maintained at the airport, railway stations and major bus terminals.

CCTV trail reveals movement of vehicle

After scanning more than 100 CCTV cameras, Delhi Police said that the Hyundai i20 that was the source of the explosion was first spotted at around 7:30 AM outside Asian Hospital in Faridabad and later entered Delhi from the Badarpur toll booth via the Faridabad road at around 8:13 AM on November 10. It was last spotted on a CCTV camera at a petrol pump near Modi Mill in the Okhla industrial area at around 8:20 AM.

The probe into the blast has led investigators to zero in on a 34-year-old resident of Pulwama, who purchased the Hyundai i20 on October 29. Sources said investigators are collecting evidence before releasing his identity to the public.

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Multiple teams of Delhi Police are scanning CCTV cameras and trying to ascertain the trail of the Hyundai i20 before it reached a parking area near the Red Fort.

On-ground forensic work continues

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North district) Raja Banthia said, “A case has been registered under sections of the UAPA, Explosives Act, and BNS. Teams from the NSG, Delhi Police, and FSL are present at the spot and are investigating the entire crime scene. The investigation is ongoing.” He added, “There are body parts in the car in which the blast took place. The FSL team is collecting them, so let’s see how it connects, and we are trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events.”

According to sources, CCTV footage purportedly shows the vehicle entering a parking area adjacent to the Red Fort at 3:19 PM and exiting at 6:48 PM on November 10. The car was also spotted in Darya Ganj, the Red Fort area, Kashmere Gate, and near Sunehri Masjid. CCTV footage from the parking area purportedly shows an individual in the driver’s seat collecting what appears to be a parking slip.

While Police Commissioner Satish Golcha stated that the car had multiple occupants, CCTV footage appears to show only one individual. Officials said they are investigating whether anyone else joined him later.