Police were investigating the explosion outside Delhi’s historic Red Fort that killed eight people, with authorities focusing on the final movements of the vehicle allegedly involved.
Police said the explosion occurred around 7pm on Monday evening outside the Red Fort metro station, a peak time when Delhi’s old city is usually packed with people, bustling markets and heavy traffic.
Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha said the explosion took place after a “slow moving vehicle” stopped at a red light outside the metro station.
Eight people were killed in the blast and around 20 injured. The force of the explosion started a fire that ripped through nearby cars, motorcycles and rickshaws and shattered the windows of a Sikh place of worship 500 metres away.
In a speech on Tuesday, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said those responsible would be bought to justice.
“The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice,” said Modi.
Witnesses said they had seen limbs ripped from bodies and scattered on the roads. “I saw the car explode while it was moving,” Dharmindra Dhaga, 27, told AFP. “People were on fire and we tried to save them... Cars and people were burning – people inside the cars were burning.”
Jai, 49, a local shopkeeper, said the noise of the blast was so loud it had damaged his hearing. “I heard a noise so loud my ears got blocked. Then I saw car parts flying and scattered body parts,” he said.
The cause of the blast remained unknown by Tuesday morning, as forensic teams and investigators from Delhi police special branch and the National Investigation Agency, which handles terror cases, probed the site. Delhi police said they had filed a case under the country’s draconian anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the explosives act.
According to reports, four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
In an address on Tuesday morning, defence minister Rajnath Singh said: “The country’s leading investigative agencies are conducting a swift and thorough inquiry into the incident – findings of the investigation will soon be made public.”
He added: “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.”
According to the reports, investigators have turned their focus on the final movements of the vehicle which is alleged to have caused the explosion. On Monday night, two people were detained who were linked to the Hyundai car, which was registered in the neighbouring state of Haryana.
CCTV footage is reported to show the car driving into a parking lot in the Old Delhi area close to the Red Fort at around 3pm and remaining there for around three hours, while the driver – who appeared to be wearing a mask – remained in the vehicle.
Home minister Amit Shah said that they were “investigating all possible angles”, adding it was “very difficult to say what caused the incident” until forensic samples had been analysed.
In the aftermath, the country remained on high alert with extra security measures imposed at airports and along the border areas. India’s financial capital Mumbai was also put under high alert.
The US state department said its “hearts are with those affected by the terrible explosion”, and that it would “continue to closely monitor the situation”.
