The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday transferred the investigation into the blast near the Red Fort to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources told the PTI.
The move strongly indicates that the government is treating the explosion, which has so far claimed 12 lives, as a possible act of terrorism, since the NIA is specifically mandated to handle terror-related cases.
“The blast case has been handed over to the NIA,” a senior source said, according to the PTI.
The decision came only hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level review of the security situation in the national capital and across other parts of the country in the aftermath of the explosion. Shah is expected to chair another security assessment meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The Home Minister stated that leading investigative agencies are jointly probing the incident and will conduct a thorough inquiry into all aspects of the blast.
The explosion occurred on Monday evening in a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station, killing at least 12 people and setting several vehicles ablaze, according to officials.
On Monday evening, a high-intensity explosion erupted in a slow-moving Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort in central Delhi. The incident occurred at about 7 pm at the Subhash Marg traffic signal. The Delhi Police have registered a case under sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosives Act, and relevant provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita at Kotwali Police Station.
Multiple agencies have joined the investigation to determine the cause and motive behind the explosion.
Meanwhile, in a major coordinated operation, the Uttar Pradesh Anti‑Terrorism Squad (ATS), the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Lucknow Police carried out joint raids at multiple locations across the state capital late on Monday evening and into early Tuesday morning. The searches were reportedly linked to an ongoing probe into suspected terror activities and potential interstate network operations, according to the ANI.
The official sources told the ANI, the joint teams executed searches in several areas including Khurram Nagar, Indira Nagar and Mahanagar. Several people have been detained for questioning, and digital devices together with significant documents were seized during the operation. Police sources stated that the raids followed intelligence inputs from the J&K Police indicating suspicious communications traced to Lucknow, suggesting possible links between local individuals and operatives monitored by security agencies in Kashmir and other parts of North India.
ACP Saiyad Areeb Ahmad of the Aliganj division stated that a raid at a particular residence but declined to provide further details, citing the sensitivity of the investigation. However, he disclosed: “No one has been arrested so far. This house belongs to a doctor, Parvez Ansari.” In the immediate aftermath of the operation, security has been heightened in several areas of Lucknow. Agencies are additionally verifying whether the detained individuals have direct ties to terror outfits or sleeper cells operating in the region. Further investigation is ongoing, as per the ANI.
(with PTI and ANI inputs)