From Red Fort blast to railway stampede, 2025 tests Delhi Police to the hilt

New Delhi: The Delhi Police was a busy force this year, battling the violent aftermath of the Red Fort blast that left the busy area strewn with dismembered bodies, and an early morning stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station that jolted the city out of its slumber.

Amid persistent bomb threats, and sensational criminal arrests -- a serial killer dubbed Doctor Death, a self-styled godman evading law enforcement -- the force found itself stretched across intelligence, investigative and public safety fronts.

The year's worst tragedy unfolded on November 10, when a car bomb exploded near the Red Fort, killing 15 people and injuring more than a dozen.

The blast, which shook the densely populated Chandni Chowk-Lal Qila area, prompted a massive deployment of bomb squads and forensic teams, the shutdown of the local metro station, and days-long cordoning of the blast site.

The Delhi Police led the probe before the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

On August 20, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was attacked during a Jan Sunwai (public hearing) in north Delhi's Civil Lines area.

The attacker, Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai, a man from Gujarat, reportedly breached tight security cordons to strike the chief minister at her camp office.

A special court recently framed charges under attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy against Khimjibhai.

The incident triggered a review of VIP security protocols and ushered in directives to tighten Gupta's protection at public functions.

On February 15, a crowd crush at New Delhi Railway Station claimed 18 lives and injured 15 others as commuters slipped on a crowded footbridge above platforms 14 and 15.

The incident laid bare chronic infrastructure and crowd management challenges at one of the country's busiest transit hubs.

In May, the Delhi Police arrested perhaps one of the city's most bizarre criminals -- a notorious Ayurvedic practitioner-turned-serial killer dubbed 'Doctor Death'.

Devender Sharma, 67, convicted in multiple murders in Gurugram and Delhi, had jumped parole and was found living as a priest at an ashram in Rajasthan's Dausa.

A police probe revealed that Sharma had been feeding his victims to crocodiles.

The force also found itself embroiled in a high-profile sexual harassment investigation involving a self-styled godman.

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, formerly associated with a religious organisation and acting as a management committee member at a southwest Delhi institute, became the subject of a police probe after multiple female students accused him of harassment.

Bomb hoaxes targeting schools, hospitals, and colleges remained a recurring challenge throughout the year, with little to no leads into the sender.

Intelligence units continue to analyse patterns linked to virtual private networks (VPN), aiming to unmask the anonymous perpetrators.

A few incidents of street crime stuck out for their brazenness.

In August, Congress Member of Parliament (MP) R Sudha was targeted in a chain-snatching incident in the high-security diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri while on her morning walk.

The Delhi Police tracked and arrested 24-year-old habitual offender Sohan Rawat within 48 hours, recovering the 30-gram gold chain and other stolen items from his possession.

The accused, out on bail from earlier theft cases, was found to have 26 criminal cases against him.

The incident sparked debate on citizen safety and law enforcement lacunae, particularly in connection to crimes against women and senior citizens.

The force also saw an unprecedentedly brisk change of faces at its top. After the retirement of Police Chief Sanjay Arora, SBK Singh was appointed as the 25th Commissioner of Delhi Police, only to be transferred out in just 21 days to take charge as DG Prisons.

Satish Golchha, the then DG Prisons, was appointed as the 26th Police Commissioner. A marked rise in violent police-criminal encounters featured his tenure. In one of the biggest encounters in recent years, on October 23, four Bihar-based gangsters were shot to death in Rohini. Ranjan Pathak, Bimlesh Mahto, Manish Pathak and Aman Thakur were part of the Sigma Gang and wanted for multiple murders in Bihar.

The Delhi Police also dealt with an array of other tragedies. One of them was the collapse of a four-storey building in northeast Delhi's Welcome area on July 12. Six members of a family, including a two-year-old girl, were killed, and eight were injured in the incident.

As 2025 draws to a close, the city police force reflects on a year that tested their crisis management, operational capabilities and community trust.

The coming year is likely to see a renewed push on bringing dreaded criminals to book, strengthening security at critical locations and stronger urban safety systems.