Red Fort blast: Abhishek slams Centre, seeks court-monitored SIT probe
The Statesman | 12 November 2025
Barely hours after a large cache of explosives was recovered from Faridabad on Monday morning, a powerful explosion rocked the vicinity of Delhi’s historic Red Fort in the evening, leaving at least eight people dead and several others injured.
Trinamul Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, Abhishek Banerjee expressed shock and anguish over what he described as a “massive security failure” under the Union Home Ministry’s watch. Taking to social media platform X on Tuesday, Mr Banerjee wrote, “I am deeply shocked and anguished to learn of the tragic explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which has claimed several lives and left many others injured. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families and my prayers are with those recovering from their injuries.” The twin incidents — the seizure of nearly 350 kg of explosives, followed by the blast in the heart of the National Capital — have raised grave questions about the state of internal security and the alertness of central agencies.
The blast, which occurred near the Sunehri Masjid parking lot, adjacent to the Red Fort, tore through a busy evening crowd. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as the vehicle believed to have been carrying the explosives burst into flames shortly after 7 p.m. Preliminary investigations suggest the use of an improvised explosive device (IED) or a similar high-intensity explosive, though the final report from the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) is awaited.
Investigators, after scanning hundreds of CCTV footage from the area, have reportedly traced the suspect vehicle entering the Sunehri Masjid parking lot around 4 p.m. on Monday. The car remained there for nearly three hours before being driven out by a lone occupant towards the Metro station, where the explosion took place minutes later. The pattern of the attack, officials believe, bears similarities to previous strikes carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
However, no outfit has yet claimed responsibility. Reacting sharply to the incident, Trinamul Congress national general secretary questioned how such a major breach could occur in the Capital’s high-security zone, stating that the Delhi Police, directly under the control of the Home Ministry, bears “the primary responsibility for maintaining law and order.”
Mr Banerjee further wrote: “How, then, are such grave lapses in security being allowed to occur?” Linking the incident with the massive seizure in Faridabad earlier the same day, Mr Banerjee said the two episodes together “raise alarming questions about internal security and the evident decline in vigilance.”
He demanded the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) under court supervision to ensure an impartial and time-bound probe. Political observers view Banerjee’s statement as part of a broader attempt by the Trinamul leadership to position itself as a vocal critic of the BJP-led Centre on national security and governance issues.