Terror at Twilight: Explosion Tears Through Old Delhi

At 6:52 pm, as commuters hurried home and tourists photographed the Red Fort glowing in the sunset, a car waiting at a traffic light exploded.

The blast ripped through Gate 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, transforming one of Delhi's most beloved heritage sites into a war zone. Eight people are dead. More than two dozen injured. Tonight, the capital holds its breath.

Rajesh Kumar was selling chaat barely fifty meters away when it happened. "There was this sound, like thunder, but angrier," he says, hands trembling. "Then fire everywhere. People running, screaming. Glass raining down."

Flames engulfed nearby vehicles. Black smoke billowed into the evening sky. Parents grabbed children and ran. The narrow lanes that usually echo with laughter filled instead with sirens.

What We Know So Far

The explosion originated from a small hatchback stopped at the red light. The vehicle was obliterated. Metal twisted beyond recognition, the traffic signal blown off its post. Forensic experts and the National Investigation Agency are now examining debris, but one question hangs in the smoke-filled air: was this terror, or something else?

Here's what makes tonight even more chilling: this morning, police discovered 2,900 kilograms of explosives in Faridabad, barely 30 kilometers from Delhi. A massive cache. Enough to level buildings. Coincidence? Authorities aren't saying, but they're not dismissing the connection either.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed within the hour. Home Minister Amit Shah is personally monitoring the situation. High alert has been declared across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Roads around the Red Fort are sealed. Metro services suspended. The area that usually thrums with life is now a ghost town behind police barricades.

Delhi Police have issued an urgent request: don't share unverified videos or rumors. Every false lead slows the investigation. At hospitals like LNJP and RML, doctors work through the night treating victims with severe burns and blast trauma. Injuries that will take months, maybe years, to heal.

The Search for Truth

Investigators are analyzing CCTV footage frame by frame. Vehicle registration details are being traced. Every witness interviewed. But answers take time. And this isn't just about a car or a blast. It's about the Red Fort, a symbol of India's history and pride. If someone wanted to send a message, they chose their target carefully.

Delhi has seen darkness before. Tonight, as families light candles and blood banks see a surge in donors, the city is proving its strength once again. Neighbors check on neighbors. Volunteers distribute food and water. But underneath that resilience is a question that won't go away: How many more times?

For now, Delhi mourns its dead, prays for its wounded, and waits, tense, angry, and unbroken, for the truth.