PM Modi takes stock of situation after blast near Red Fort, speaks to Amit Shah
New Delhi (PTI):Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has reviewed with Home Minister Amit Shah and other officials about the situation following the explosion near the Red Fort metro station on Monday that claimed eight lives, and assured people that those affected are being assisted by the authorities.
The high-intensity explosion in the area milling with people also injured 24. They have been taken to the LNJP hospital, a few kilometres away.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest," PM Modi said on X.
"Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials," he added.
Earlier, government sources said PM Modi had taken stock of the situation and spoken with Shah, and taken an update.
Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders' Association revealed the magnitude of the blast. A mangled body could be seen lying on a vehicle, while another clip showed a body lying on the road. Eyewitnesses said body parts could be seen scattered near the blast site.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi, and security has been beefed up at city border points, with vehicle checking intensified.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the car, in which the blast took place, had some occupants.
According to a senior police officer, "The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellet or puncture in the body of the injured, which is unusual in a bomb blast. We are investigating all angles."
Police sources said the car was registered in the name of one Nadeem Khan and bore a Haryana number plate.
Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot as police cordoned off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The blaze caused by the blast was brought under control by 7.29 pm, officials said.
According to a fire department official, six cars, two e-rickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire.
The blast was so powerful that it shattered the window panes of vehicles parked several metres away, and the sound was heard at ITO, a few kilometres from the site.
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Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat expected to visit Andamans for Savarkar event
Sri Vijaya Puram (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are expected to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Thursday, during which they will unveil a statue of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a senior official said.
Security has been beefed up in view of the high-profile visits, and traffic restrictions may be imposed in some areas, he said.
Bhagwat may have a brief interaction with the workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Dollygunj in Sri Vijaya Puram. This will be his first visit to the archipelago as a 'sarsanghchalak'.
Nearly two decades ago, Bhagwat had visited the islands as a 'sarkaryavah' (general secretary), while this will be Shah's second visit to the archipelago, which he visited in January 2023 to commemorate the 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
On December 12, both will unveil a statue of Savarkar at Beodnabad in South Andaman around 9.30 am, and in the evening, they will release a song on Savarkar in an event scheduled to be held at Dr B R Ambedkar Institute of Technology (DBRAIT), the official said.
On December 13, Bhagwat may address a public gathering at ITF Ground in Sri Vijaya Puram in the evening, and he will leave the archipelago on December 14.
The Union home minister may leave the islands either on the night of December 12 or the next morning, he said.
The entire event will be organised by a Maharashtra-based business group to commemorate the 116th anniversary of the penning of Savarkar's iconic poem, 'Sagara Pran Talamala' (Take me back to my motherland, O sea, my soul yearns). He wrote this poem in 1909.
Savarkar was jailed in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair (now known as Sri Vijaya Puram) by the British in 1911.
