New Delhi: One person was killed and at least five injured after a low-intensity explosion took place in the national capital New Delhi on Tuesday morning.
According to police, the blast took place in Naya Bazaar area in old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk around 10.30am.
“It is not yet known what caused the blast, but some local people said they saw a man carrying a bag of fire crackers while smoking a beedi just before the incident. Prima facie it looks like a firecracker explosion in a jute bag,” Virendra Chahal, Joint Commissioner of Police, Northern Range, told Gulf News.
The CCTV footage shows people running for cover through the congested lanes of Chandni Chowk. A haze of smoke filled the area where several glass windows were found shattered.
“Windowpanes of the surrounding buildings were damaged due to the impact of the explosion. We have not identified the injured and the deceased. The samples of explosive have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory,” Joint Commissioner Chahal added.
Soon after the blast, detectives of the anti-terror wing and special cell reached the site. The forensic teams also reached the spot to pick up the samples.
“We have recovered the plastic shells commonly used in fire crackers from the spot. But we still need to figure out what was the explosive substance inside those shells. There is no crater at the spot, which means it was not a high intensity explosive,” senior police officer SBK Singh informed media.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Bahrain, called Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma and inquired about the incident. Singh telephoned Verma to take stock of the situation.
Local Councillor Surekha Gupta told Gulf News that “the blast completely damaged nearby houses and shops. The people in Chandni Chowk are scared, particularly because it is festival season and they are anticipating terror activities.”
Delhi has been on high-alert because of the festival season. Delhi Police personnel have been maintaining a tight vigil in the national capital because of the threat perception in view of the festive season.
