Delhi Red Fort blast: Those responsible won't be spared, assures Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (Courtesy: ANI photo)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday assured the nation that the people responsible for the blast near Red Fort in Delhi will not be spared under any circumstances.

"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.

Offering condolences to the bereaved families, the Defence Minister said, "I pray to God to grant strength and solace to the bereaved families in this hour of deep grief. I wish to assure my citizens that the country's leading investigative agencies are conducting a swift and thorough inquiry into the incident".

He added that the findings of the investigation will soon be made public.

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A high-intensity explosion ripped through a car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening leaving at least 12 people dead.

Delhi Police on Tuesday registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act in connection with the deadly blast.  The national capital has been placed on high alert with strict vigil being maintained at the airport, railway stations and bus terminals.

Raids are underway at multiple locations in the national capital as preliminary findings have suggested a link to the terror module uncovered in Faridabad. Hours before the blast, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and about 2,900kg explosives were seized. Of the total explosive material recovered from two rooms in Faridabad, police recovered 360 kg of inflammable material suspected to be ammonium nitrate along with some potassium nitrate and sulphur. Some arms and ammunition were also recovered, police said.

Dr. Umar Mohammad, a Pulwama resident, was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that was used in the explosion. According to police sources, ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and detonators may have been used in the blast.

According to CCTV footage available, the car was parked near the Red Fort for about three hours with the driver inside. When the car finally moved, it drove towards the traffic signal near the Red Fort Metro Station, where it exploded around 6.52 pm.

Born on 24 February 1989 in J&K's Pulwama, Umar was working as a doctor at the Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad. He was allegedly a close aide of Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Dr Mujammil Shakil, the two doctors who were arrested on Monday in the investigations into a new "white collar" terror module busted by the police teams of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.

Umar, investigators believe, escaped from Faridabad after learning that his associates had been arrested. As per sources, he 'panicked' and triggered the blast near Red Fort.