Rajnath Singh Vows Justice: Delhi Red Fort Blast Linked to Terror Network with Pakistan Connections

New Delhi:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has issued a stern warning following the devastating blast near Delhi's Red Fort that claimed nine lives and injured approximately 20 people on Monday evening.

"I wish to assure my fellow citizens that the country's leading investigative agencies are conducting a swift and thorough inquiry into the incident. The findings of the investigation will soon be made public. 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," Singh declared while addressing an event in Delhi on Tuesday.

The Defence Minister expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, stating, "I pray to God to grant strength and solace to the bereaved families in this hour of deep grief."

The powerful explosion occurred at 6:52 pm, ripping through a slow-moving white Hyundai i20 at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station, causing significant damage to multiple vehicles in the vicinity.

According to sources, the car belonged to Umar Mohammad, a doctor from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, who is believed to have been driving the vehicle when the explosion happened. Intelligence reports suggest Umar was a member of a radical doctors' group that coordinated via Telegram and has connections to the Pakistan-based terror organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Sources further revealed that the car was allegedly provided to Umar by a man named Tariq, also from Pulwama, who has since been taken into police custody.

In a related development, just hours before the Delhi blast, police recovered 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable materials from two rented rooms belonging to a Kashmiri doctor in Haryana's Faridabad. The seized materials included ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur.

Authorities have arrested eight individuals, including two Kashmiri doctors—Adeel Ahmad Rather and Muzammil Shakeel—who are allegedly part of a "white-collar terror" network involving both Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, with operations spanning across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Government sources have confirmed that "Operation Sindoor," launched on May 7 following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians on April 22, remains active. "Any act of terror would be considered an act of war against India. Operation Sindoor is on," the sources stated.

The operation was initiated after discovering cross-border connections to the Pahalgam attack, leading Indian armed forces to strike multiple terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), reportedly killing over 100 terrorists.

In response, Pakistan launched a significant missile and drone attack, which India intercepted. India subsequently struck airfields in Pakistan before a ceasefire was announced on May 10.