Security has been beefed up across the country. A scene from Gurgaon Railway Station. PTI Photo
Delhi blast a heinous terror act, says Centre after high-level meet
The Centre describes the explosion as “a dastardly and cowardly act by anti-national forces''
The explosion near New Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, which killed at least 12 people, has been termed a “heinous act of terror” by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
On Wednesday (November 12), Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the high-level meeting, which was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and other top officials.
The Cabinet, meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence, observed a two-minute silence in memory of the victims. In a statement, the Centre described the explosion as “a dastardly and cowardly act by anti-national forces” and reaffirmed India’s “unwavering commitment to zero tolerance against terrorism in all its forms”.
Accused did multiple recces
An analysis of dump data retrieved from the mobile phone of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, who was arrested after police busted a white-collar terror module recently, showed that he conducted multiple reconnaissances of the Red Fort area in January this year, officials said.
Police said they suspect these reconnaissances were part of a larger conspiracy to target the historic monument on Republic Day, but were foiled due to intensified patrolling in the area at the time.
During investigation, it was found that two of the key suspects, Dr Umar, who was driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded, and Muzammil, had travelled to Turkiye. Sources said the investigators have found Turkish immigration stamps in their passports and are examining whether the two met any foreign-based handler during their trip.
Red Ford EcoSport traced to Faridabad
A red Ford EcoSport car suspected to be linked to the Delhi Red Fort blast case has been traced and seized in Faridabad. When asked if the EcoSport car has been traced, a Faridabad police spokesperson confirmed over the phone, saying, "Yes, it has been found in Khandawali village".
Earlier, the Delhi Police sounded an alert across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in the national capital to trace the red Ford EcoSport car.
The alert was issued after the investigation revealed that other suspects, already connected to the Hyundai i20 used in the explosion, were also in possession of another red-coloured car.
Also Read: Delhi blast: Test explosion or premature detonation? Expert answers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (November 12) visited the LNJP Hospital and met the survivors, saying the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
"Went to LNJP Hospital and met those injured during the blast in Delhi. Praying for everyone's quick recovery. Those behind the conspiracy will be brought to justice!" Modi said in a post on X.
Visited Red Fort multiple times
Dr Muzammil visited the Red Fort multiple times to study the security arrangements and crowd density patterns along with Dr Umar Nabi, an assistant professor at the Al-Falah University who is said to have been driving the car that exploded on Monday, officials said.
Their movements were corroborated through tower location data and CCTV footage collected from nearby areas, they added.
"These visits were part of a detailed reconnaissance ahead of a planned attack on January 26," the officer said.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has detained a Faridabad-based car dealer and directed all second-hand car dealers across Delhi and adjoining states to verify and share details of recent vehicle sales, officials said on Wednesday.
Accidentally triggered?
Officials have said that the findings of the initial investigation into the blast near the Red Fort in Delhi suggest it may have been "accidentally triggered" while a hastily assembled explosive device was being transported.
Investigators have zeroed in on a Pulwama-based doctor, Umar Nabi, who was driving the car used in the explosion that claimed 12 lives, and had alleged links to the terror module busted with the recovery of explosives mainly from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.
On Tuesday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police took a DNA sample from Nabi's mother to establish the relation.
Sources said that the explosion was triggered in panic and desperation after raids by the security agencies across multiple locations in Delhi-NCR and Pulwama, J-K, to nab suspects believed to be part of the terror module, PTI reported.
Also Read: Terror plot: Who are the 4 arrested doctors and the suspected suicide bomber?
"The suspect was likely spooked after the raid in Faridabad which forced him to relocate hastily, increasing the chance of a mishap. The incident appears to have shifted from a suspected suicide attack to an unintended explosion during transport," a senior police officer said.
However, police are probing all angles, including suicide bomber attack, the sources said.
The officer said that intelligence teams' first assessment suggests the improvised explosive device (IED) was assembled incorrectly, which limited its destructive effect.
"The bomb was premature and not fully developed, thus limiting the impact. The explosion did not create a crater and no shrapnel or projectiles were found," he added.
Al Falah University statement
Under the scanner after the blast, Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad on Wednesday said it has only a professional association with the two of its doctors arrested in connection with the Red Fort blast and is anguished by the unfortunate developments.
While distancing itself from the terror-linked doctors, the university in a statement asserted that it is a responsible institution and stands in solidarity with the nation.
The forensics team has collected around 40 samples from the blast site, including two cartridges, live ammunition, and samples of two different types of explosives.
Also Read: Red Fort blast probed as terror attack, Kashmir doctors under lens
During the investigation on Monday, 360 kgs of ammonium nitrate was recovered from Faridabad, where Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, both connected to Al-Falah University, were arrested.
"The second explosive sample is believed to be more powerful than ammonium nitrate. Its exact composition will be confirmed after detailed forensic examination," an official said.
According to officials, the forensics team found the cartridges while inspecting the spot. Further investigation is underway to determine the nature of the explosives and how they were used in the blast.
Preacher detained
As part of the ongoing probe into the module's activities, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday detained a preacher from Mewat in Haryana.
Maulvi Ishtiyaq, who has been brought to Srinagar, was staying in a rented house within the Al Falah University complex in Faridabad. It was from his home that police had recovered more than 2,500 kgs of explosives, officials said.
Maulvi Ishtiyaq, who will be the ninth person to be nabbed in the case, is likely to be placed under arrest.
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- 12 Nov 2025 9:52 PM IST
Where is probe heading? Catch our video discussion
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- 12 Nov 2025 8:58 PM IST
Red Ford EcoSport car traced
A red Ford EcoSport car suspected to be linked to the Delhi Red Fort blast case has been traced and seized in Faridabad.
When asked if the EcoSport car has been traced, a Faridabad police spokesperson confirmed over the phone, saying, "Yes, it has been found in Khandawali village".
Earlier, the Delhi Police sounded an alert across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in the national capital to trace the red Ford EcoSport car.
The alert was issued after the investigation revealed that other suspects, already connected to the Hyundai i20 used in the explosion, were also in possession of another red-coloured car.
- 12 Nov 2025 5:30 PM IST
Umar stayed at a mosque for three hours before Delhi blast: Report
The man driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort, killing 12 people and injuring several others, had visited a mosque near the Ram Leela Maidan, a senior official told PTI on Wednesday (November 12).
Dr Umar Nabi, an assistant professor at Al-Falah University and believed to be the driver of the car that went up in flames on Monday (November 10), had parked the vehicle at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot around 3.19 pm, the officer said. Umar had gone to a mosque on Asaf Ali Road, close to Ram Leela Maidan, where he allegedly stayed for nearly three hours and offered namaz.
"He stayed there for around three hours before leaving and heading towards the Red Fort. We are probing the matter from all angles, including a suspected fidayeen attack," a senior police officer told PTI.
Police are also examining what Umar did during his three-hour halt at the parking lot before he moved towards the Red Fort. "He was constantly tracking updates about those arrested in the Faridabad module. We are also trying to verify if he was communicating with his handlers using a signal phone," another officer said.
The officer added that forensic experts are analysing exhibits to detect fragments of a possible signal device that may have been used to stay in touch with handlers.
The Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory has collected over 40 samples from the blast site, including mangled remains of the vehicle, metal debris, and body parts.
A special team of experts has been constituted to examine the samples and identify the nature of explosives used, sources said.
Police sources added that agencies are also scanning CCTV footage from the mosque area and nearby streets to reconstruct Umar's movements before the explosion, as part of efforts to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in facilitating the attack.
- 12 Nov 2025 5:23 PM IST
Key suspects in Delhi car blast went to Turkiye: Report
During the investigation, it was found that two of the key suspects, Dr Umar, who was driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded, and Muzammil, had travelled to Turkey. According to a PTI report, quoting sources, police said the investigators have found Turkish immigration stamps in their passports and are examining whether the two met any foreign-based handler during their trip.
Police have zeroed in on a Pulwama-based doctor, Umar Nabi, who was driving the car used in the explosion that claimed 12 lives, and had alleged links to the terror module busted with the recovery of explosives mainly from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.
- 12 Nov 2025 5:19 PM IST
Brother of Haryana preacher detained in Faridabad terror module case claims he is innocent
Mohd Ishityaq, an imam at the Al-Falah University mosque, has been arrested by the police. His brother, Mohammad Shahbad, said Ishityaq has served as the imam at the mosque for nearly 20 years. Shahbad explained that Ishityaq had purchased land in Fatehpur and built rental rooms, one of which was occupied by Dr. Muzammil Ganaie.
He added that they only visited tenants to collect rent and did not monitor their daily activities. Responding to media reports that weapons and explosives were recovered from the tenant’s room, Shahbad called the allegations against his brother baseless, asserting that his family has never faced any accusations and that all his brothers are imams.
- 12 Nov 2025 5:03 PM IST
Faridabad’s Al Falah University distances itself from arrested terror doctors
Under the scanner after the Delhi blast, Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad on Wednesday said it has only a professional association with the two of its doctors arrested in connection with the incident and is anguished by the unfortunate developments.
While distancing itself from the terror-linked doctors, the University in a statement asserted that it is a responsible institution and stands in solidarity with the nation.
- 12 Nov 2025 4:58 PM IST
Delhi Police detain suspects linked to Red Fort blast
Delhi Police have detained nearly a dozen individuals linked directly or indirectly to those already arrested in connection with the case. This marks the first group of suspects taken into custody following the terror attack. According to Delhi Police sources cited by ANI, all the detainees are being interrogated by multiple investigating agencies.
- 12 Nov 2025 4:48 PM IST
KC Venugopal holds Amit Shah responsible for Red Fort blast, demands resignation
Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take moral responsibility for the blast near the Red Fort in New Delhi, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said on Wednesday (November 12). He accused Shah of a "serious security failure".
KC Venugopal calls for Amit Shah's resignation
"When the Mumbai blast happened, when the UPA was in power, the then Home Minister resigned, taking moral responsibility for security. The opposition demanded his resignation, owing to moral responsibility for the security failure," Venugopal told the media here.
He said Shah should resign if he has any (sense of) responsibility. Venugopal said Shah always used to "lie" in Parliament, claiming that there were no riots or blasts in the country under him.
"Our Home Minister always says in Parliament, there are no riots, there are no blasts, lying every time. Now, in front of his eyes, very close to his office, this blast happened. The government should come out with a clear-cut enquiry and should reveal the real reason to the nation," he said.
- 12 Nov 2025 4:28 PM IST
Saharanpur doctor denies rumours of arrest, says cooperating in Delhi blast probe
Doctor Babar, a physician at the Famous Medicare Hospital in Saharanpur, on Wednesday (November 12) denied rumours that he had been detained following the arrest of his colleague Dr Adil Ahmad, who is accused of having links with the proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Saharanpur doctor denies being detained
Speaking to PTI, Dr Babar clarified that he has been working at the hospital for the past three years, while Dr Adil joined in March. "I met him only after he joined the hospital. Before that, I had no acquaintance with him. His behaviour was polite and professional, and neither patients nor staff ever had a complaint against him," the general physician said.
Expressing dismay over Adil's alleged involvement in terror activities, Babar said, "It is painful that such educated people are indulging in shameful acts." About his participation in Adil's wedding, Dr Babar said, "Four of us from the hospital had attended his marriage. We went as colleagues attending a fellow doctor's wedding, not that of a terrorist."
Babar confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and other investigating agencies had questioned him and added, "I am ready to cooperate with any agency that wants to talk to me."
Dr Adil Ahmad's JeM links
Dr Adil Ahmad, from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested on November 7 by the Jammu and Kashmir Police with the assistance of local police and Special Operations Group (SOG).
The Jammu and Kashmir Police filed a case in Srinagar on October 28 after posters supporting the proscribed outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed appeared in several areas. CCTV footage allegedly showed Adil putting up the posters, leading investigators to trace him to Saharanpur.
Police traced his movements in Saharanpur on November 11, where he had been working at Famous Hospital for the past six months. He earlier served at another private hospital in the city.
He was taken into custody from Famous Hospital and handed over to Srinagar Police on transit remand.
Following his arrest, the medical facility terminated his employment and removed his nameplate, with hospital manager Dr Manoj Mishra saying that Adil had always appeared polite and professional, showing no signs of suspicious activity.
