New Delhi, November 11: In the wake of a deadly car blast in Delhi that claimed twelve lives and left 25 injured, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing the incident’s potential links to terrorism. The decision comes just a day after the explosion, which occurred near the Red Fort metro station on Monday around 7 p.m. Authorities are concerned about the nature of the blast and possible terrorist involvement.
The NIA will now formally take over from the Delhi Police and expand the investigation to include a detailed examination of the explosives used in the attack, as well as any possible terrorist connections. The post-blast investigation was initially conducted by a team from the National Security Guard (NSG), which, along with experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), gathered forensic evidence from the blast site.
The blast has prompted swift security responses, including two high-level meetings chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The first meeting, which lasted over an hour, took place at the Home Minister’s residence and was attended by key officials, including Union 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 participated virtually.
The second meeting, convened at the Ministry of Home Affairs office at Kartavya Bhawan in the afternoon, focused on the progress of the investigation and potential links to a major explosives haul recently uncovered in Faridabad. Following the explosion, Shah had directed a multi-agency probe involving the NIA, NSG, FSL, and Delhi Police to determine the cause and origin of the blast.
On Tuesday, NIA and FSL teams revisited the site to collect further forensic evidence. As per protocol, the NIA is set to register a First Information Report (FIR) in the case and take custody of all evidence previously gathered by the Delhi Police.
