The Lal Quila Metro Station will remain closed today (November 12) as a precautionary measure following the high-intensity blast near the Red Fort on Monday evening that killed at least 12 people and left 20 others injured near the Red Fort.
Security personnel continue to maintain a strong presence in and around the area, and Delhi Police along with central agencies are carrying out intensive checks and surveillance as part of the ongoing investigation.
Lal Quila Metro Station to remain closed
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in a post on X, said, "Due to security reasons, the Lal Quila Metro Station shall continue to remain closed on November 12. All other stations are functional as normal."
The station was also shut for commuters on Tuesday. Bearing the effect of the tragic incident and traffic restrictions in the vicinity, the nearby markets wore a deserted look with shopkeepers expressing concern over the loss of business.
Following the blast, security across the national capital has been intensified. All vehicles entering Delhi, whether private or commercial, were being thoroughly checked and verified as part of heightened security measures, officials said.
Initial probe suggests 'accidental' detonation of explosives
Findings of the initial probe into the blast near the Red Fort suggest it may have been "accidentally triggered" while a hastily assembled explosive device was being transported, following the busting of an inter-state terror module, officials said on Tuesday.
Investigators have zeroed in on a Pulwama-based doctor, Umar Nabi, who was driving the car used in the explosion, and had alleged links to the terror module busted with the recovery of explosives mainly from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.
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.
"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.
The Red Fort blast on a busy Monday evening came hours after eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a "white collar" terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
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