Military-grade explosives are suspected in the Red Fort blast that killed eight in Delhi. Forensic teams are testing samples for PETN, RDX, and ammonium nitrate traces. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered an NIA probe.
New Delhi: Military-grade explosives have been reportedly used in the blast near Red Fort on Monday, November 10. However, forensic teams and the NSG’s explosive unit have yet to finalise their findings. According to reports, an investigation is underway to find out whether substances such as PETN, semtex or RDX were involved, while also considering the possibility of an ammonium nitrate, fuel oil mixture and the presence of detonating components. The nitrate and fuel oil combination is commonly used both industrially and in improvised devices because of its wide availability and low cost.
Forensic teams recovered about 42 exhibits from the scene for laboratory analysis. Items sent for testing include parts of the Hyundai i20 involved tyres, chassis pieces and fragments from the bonnet and a compressed gas cylinder, along with residue and powder traces found at the site. These samples are expected to clarify the chemical makeup of the explosive material.
What Are These Materials?
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a component often associated with semtex, is a powerful high explosive that can be difficult to detect in small quantities; it has been used in past terror plots because of those properties. Ammonium nitrate, based charges, by comparison, can generate a high-energy shock when properly confined and initiated. In earlier incidents such as the Delhi High Court blast in 2011, initial forensic impressions pointed to mixtures involving ammonium nitrate and PETN, though subsequent official statements have differed on the precise composition. Authorities currently believe the vehicle was fitted with a professional detonation mechanism and rigged with high-grade explosive material, but forensic confirmation is still pending. Officials expect clearer conclusions from lab reports in the coming days as testing of the collected exhibits continues.
Amit Shah Orders NIA Probe
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the Delhi blast case, to submit its investigation report at the earliest. He has also instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to analyse and match the samples collected from the blast site and provide a comprehensive report on the explosion without delay. The minister gave the directions while chairing the security review meeting at his residence earlier on Tuesday.
He also directed security agencies to “hunt down each and every culprit” involved in the incident, saying those responsible “will face the full wrath of our agencies.” The meeting at the Home Minister’s residence was attended by the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat also joined the meeting virtually. Shah asked officials to leave no angle unexplored as investigators piece together how the blast occurred and who was behind it.
The blast, which ripped through a slow-moving Hyundai i20 near the Subhash Marg traffic signal by the Red Fort on Monday evening, killed eight people and left several others injured. The NIA will take over the probe formally from the Delhi Police and examine all aspects of the case, including the materials used in the blast and possible terror links.