Delhi Blast: A powerful explosion outside Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening has left the city shaken, with eight people dead and 14 others injured. The incident, which occurred near Gate No. 1, sparked a massive fire that engulfed multiple vehicles and prompted a swift multi-agency emergency response. With early assessments hinting at a possible Improvised Explosive Device (IED), political attention has now turned sharply to the city’s security preparedness, led by a strong statement from Arvind Kejriwal.
Kejriwal’s Sharp Questions To Police And Government
Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reacted minutes after the news broke, calling the developments “extremely alarming.” In a post on X, he said, "The news of the explosion near the Red Fort is extremely alarming. It is reported that some people have also lost their lives in it, which is extremely tragic. The police and government should immediately investigate how this explosion occurred and whether there is any larger conspiracy behind it. Negligence regarding Delhi's security cannot be tolerated."
His remarks have set the tone for the political and administrative response, placing pressure on investigative agencies to determine not just how the blast occurred but whether it forms part of a broader threat scenario.
Chaos At The Scene As Rescue Teams Respond
Officials confirmed that the Fire Department received an alert about an explosion inside a parked car near the metro entrance. The vehicle ignited almost instantly, and the resulting blaze damaged several others. “A car caught fire, followed by a blast that damaged three to four other vehicles. A total of seven fire tenders have reached the spot,” officials said. Firefighters and police personnel, including teams from the Delhi Police Special Cell, cordoned off the area while working to prevent further flare-ups.
Sources at LNJP Hospital said they received multiple casualties soon after the incident. “Multiple injured have been brought in due to the blast near Gate No. 1 of Red Fort Metro Station,” officials told ANI.
Witnesses Describe Panic As Blast Shook The Area
Residents living near the historic monument reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing flames shoot upward. Rajdhar Pandey, who lives close to the metro gate, said he rushed out the moment he saw the fire. “I saw the flames from my house and then came down to see what had happened. There was a loud explosion. I live nearby,” he told ANI.
With the area currently under high alert and investigators examining remnants from the blast site, authorities are expected to piece together the sequence of events through the night. The central question now — amplified by Kejriwal’s remarks — is whether the explosion was an isolated incident or part of something larger.