India’s capital was on high alert on 10 November 2025 after a powerful car explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 20, according to Al Jazeera’s report.
The blast struck a crowded part of Old Delhi during the evening rush hour at 6:52pm local time. Police said the explosion originated in a moving Hyundai i20 that stopped at a red light before detonating, damaging nearby vehicles and setting several of them on fire. Delhi’s deputy fire chief said six vehicles and three autorickshaws were ignited in the blast.
Authorities quickly opened an investigation under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act, a strong indication that they were treating the incident as a possible act of terrorism. The report said police had not yet formally confirmed the cause of the explosion or named suspects, but had detained the original owner of the vehicle and another person involved in its sale.
The scene is especially sensitive because the blast occurred near the Red Fort Metro Station and the broader Lal Qila area, one of the most symbolically important landmarks in India. The fort is closely tied to national identity and to annual Independence Day ceremonies. The attack therefore carried both human and political shock value, hitting a site that is not only busy but deeply associated with state authority.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said those responsible would not be spared, while Interior Minister Amit Shah received briefings as security forces were placed on alert across major states and cities. The report also said police tightened checks at railway stations and that key transport hubs in other states were put under precautionary scrutiny.
Investigators were already working against a tense backdrop. Earlier that day, police in Haryana had announced the arrest of a Kashmiri doctor accused of plotting a separate attack and said they had recovered a large quantity of explosives, timers, remote controls, a rifle and ammunition. Authorities did not confirm a direct link between that case and the Delhi blast, but the proximity in time added to public concern and helped drive the security response.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with mangled cars, smoke, panic and bodies in the street. Families later gathered outside hospitals and police posts trying to find missing relatives. The report said officials had identified several victims, though the supplied excerpt does not list them all.
For India, the blast now appears to be both a criminal investigation and a national-security test. The immediate questions are whether the explosion was deliberate, who planned it and whether it connects to wider militant activity. Until investigators answer those questions, New Delhi remains focused on the human toll and the possibility that the attack was part of a broader conspiracy.
