New Delhi: Home Minister of India Amit Shah on Tuesday transferred the investigation into the Delhi car blast to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), directing the agency to submit its findings at the earliest. He also instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to promptly analyse and match all samples collected from the blast site and provide a detailed report on the explosion.
The directives came during a high-level security review meeting chaired by Shah at his residence, a day after the car blast near the Red Fort that killed eight people and injured several others. During the meeting, Shah formally handed over the case from the Delhi Police to the NIA, instructing the agency to carry out a comprehensive probe and report its findings without delay.
He further directed the FSL to closely examine material evidence and remains recovered from the charred vehicle to determine the nature of the explosives used.
“The Home Minister chaired a review meeting and directed the NIA to probe the blast and submit a detailed report soon. The FSL was asked to match the collected samples and provide complete details about the explosion. Instructions were also issued to analyse the samples recovered from the bodies in the vehicle,” NDTV reported, quoting sources.
Shah urged all security agencies to ensure that “every individual involved” in the incident is tracked down, stressing that those responsible would “face the full wrath of our agencies.”
The meeting was attended by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, NIA Director General Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat joined virtually.
Later, Shah posted on X, saying, “Chaired review meetings on the Delhi car blast with senior officials. Instructed them to hunt down every culprit behind this incident. Everyone involved will face the full wrath of our agencies.”
The explosion occurred on Monday evening when a Hyundai i20 went up in flames near the Subhash Marg traffic signal close to the Red Fort. Preliminary assessments suggest the possibility of a terror angle, prompting the Ministry of Home Affairs to hand the probe to the NIA, which will now lead the investigation under relevant anti-terror laws.
Following the blast, security was stepped up in several states, and all agencies were asked to conduct an exhaustive investigation into the cause and nature of the explosion.
Teams from the National Security Guard (NSG) and FSL earlier collected forensic evidence from the site. The review meeting also examined potential links between the blast and the seizure of a large cache of explosives in Faridabad on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, a joint NIA-FSL team revisited the site to gather additional samples. The NIA is expected to formally register an FIR soon and take over all evidence collected so far from the Delhi Police to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive probe.
