New Delhi (Rajeev Sharma): The explosion near Red Fort that killed 12 people and injured over 20 was the result of a hurried, unfinished bomb detonation, according to senior Home Ministry officials, who described the incident as a “panic reaction” following recent counter-terror raids in Faridabad.
Preliminary findings indicate that the group behind the blast acted under intense pressure after security agencies seized nearly 3,000 kilograms of RDX, detonators, and timers in coordinated operations across Delhi-NCR and Jammu & Kashmir. “The device used was only partially built and lacked the full detonation mechanism,” said an official familiar with the investigation. “Because it was incomplete, the blast was less intense — it caused no crater and produced no shrapnel.”
Sources said the suspects likely triggered the device prematurely in an attempt to evade arrest and destroy evidence. “It was a reaction driven by fear after the crackdown on the network,” an officer said, adding that the government’s rapid action prevented a far more devastating strike in the heart of the capital.
Following the explosion, Home Minister Amit Shah convened two emergency review meetings with top intelligence and security officials, after which the case was officially handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Investigators believe the incident is directly linked to the Faridabad terror module, where earlier this week, three Jammu and Kashmir-based doctors were detained for their alleged involvement in stockpiling explosives. The massive seizures in those raids are thought to have forced other operatives to act in haste.
“The entire episode underscores how coordinated intelligence-sharing across states helped avert a large-scale terror plot,” said a senior Home Ministry source, crediting “pan-India alertness” for limiting the damage.
While security across Delhi and adjoining areas has been heightened, officials confirmed that no additional threats have been detected so far. Investigators are now tracing supply routes, digital communications, and funding links associated with the seized materials.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and report any suspicious activities as the NIA’s probe expands to track the wider network behind the foiled terror plot.
