New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday directed India’s security and intelligence agencies to “hunt down” every person involved in the recent explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort. He called this incident a “cowardly act of terror” and warned that those responsible would “face the full wrath of our agencies.”
The Home Minister chaired two high level meetings on Tuesday, one at 11 am and another at 3 pm, with top security and intelligence officials to assess the situation. The meetings were attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Deka, National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General Sadanand Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu & Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat also joined via video conference.
“Chaired review meetings on the Delhi car blast with the senior officials. Instructed them to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident. Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies,” Shah posted on X (formerly Twitter).
NIA takes over investigations
Shah also instructed the NIA to formally take over the investigation, following the deliberations. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has been directed to expedite its report on the nature of explosives used in the blast and the DNA profiling of the suspected car driver, Umar Nabi. Parts of a human body were recovered from the site and investigators are working to confirm whether they belong to Nabi who has been missing since a crackdown on a terror module in Faridabad. DNA samples from his mother have been collected in Pulwama for matching.
The NIA has also begun examining the electronic communication, financial transactions and the inter-state movements of individuals linked to the Faridabad module. “We are mapping their network, funding sources, and digital footprints,” an investigator said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
NIA chief Sadanand Date has instructed the agency’s Delhi unit to lead the probe. Security has been beefed up in and around the Red Fort premises. Meanwhile, teams from the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, the NIA have been continuing the combing operations.