The Curious Cases of Blasts in Delhi & Srinagar

On 10 Nov, a powerful explosion took place near Delhi’s historic Red Fort. The blast which tore through the crowded area has killed 15 people so far. No splinters were found at the scene, no crater was formed—indicators typically present in conventional bomb blasts. Many vehicles were damaged, but the absence of a foul smell or traces of RDX deepened the mystery. By 12 Nov, the Union Cabinet said, ‘The country has witnessed a heinous terror incident, perpetrated by anti-national forces.' In parallel, police officials were probing possible links between the Red Fort explosion and a major recovery of arms and explosives from staff of the Al-Falah University of Medical Sciences and Research in Faridabad, which is part of the National Capital Region. Jammu and Kashmir Police had seized 350 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate, an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, three magazines, 20 timers, a walkie-talkie set, and ammunition from a rented accommodation. Additionally, on 15 Nov, nine people were killed and several others were injured in a powerful explosion at the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar. The blast occurred while police and forensic teams were examining explosive material seized from Faridabad, part of the 2.9K kg chemicals recovered from an arrested doctor in the case. Jammu & Kashmir National Conference's Member of Parliament from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said, 'There are too many lapses in the process. How could such explosive material be handled so irresponsibly and brought into a police station located in a crowded locality? There were no professional teams handling the material. We hope the accountability is fixed. Who are involved? Who were responsible?' On 13 Nov, a National Investigative Agency team raided the clinic and house of Dr Jaan Nisar at Bal Singh Nagar in Ludhiana. The police also picked up a Pathankot surgeon, in his early 40s, after it emerged that one of the accused had called him on the phone. The Panjab and Haryana police have said that in the wake of the blast in Delhi, a red alert had been sounded across all districts in the two states.