Red Fort explosion: High alert sounded in Haryana

Chandigarh, Nov 10 (PTI) A high alert was sounded Monday evening in Haryana in the wake of the Red Fort blast in Delhi that left eight dead.

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a moving car near the Red Fort in the national capital in the evening, gutting several vehicles and killing at least eight people, officials said.

"High alert across Haryana state in view of #Delhi incident. People are requested to remain calm. If any suspicious person or unclaimed object is seen, inform '112' (emergency helpline)," Haryana Director General of Police O P Singh said in a post in Hindi on X.

"All #police officers are in their respective areas," he added.

The DGP said police were checking vehicles at state borders, as well as all public transport, parking areas, hotels and dharamshalas. All district magistrates were directed to keep a vigil in districts bordering Delhi.

Crowded public places and historical sites are under watch, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in a post on X, termed the blast painful and worrisome.

"To those people who have lost their loved ones in this tragic accident, may God grant them the strength to endure this unbearable sorrow.

"I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured," Saini said.

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called it "heart-wrenching." "The government must ensure a high-level thorough investigation into this matter, and the strictest possible action must be taken against those who perpetrated this heinous act," Hooda, a Leader of Opposition in Haryana, said in a post on X.

Twenty-four people were injured in the blast that took place on a busy evening when the area was milling with people. The wounded were taken to the LNJP hospital a few kilometres away.

A high alert has been sounded in Delhi.

The blast came hours after the recovery of around 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a Kashmiri doctor's rented accommodation in Haryana's Faridabad.

Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a Kashmiri, was arrested in Faridabad in connection with the recovery of arms.

The Haryana Police, in coordination with their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, arrested Dr Ganaie from Faridabad's Dhauj area and recovered explosive materials, weapons, and timers from his rented house.

Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a "white collar" terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said. PTI SUN VN VN