‘A boom, damaged cars, body parts’: People inside temple recount Red Fort blast horror

A case under sections 16, 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Explosives Act has been registered at Kotwali Police Station in north Delhi.

‘A boom, damaged cars, body parts’: People inside temple recount horror

A part of a damaged vehicle inside the temple. (Express Photo)

“A loud noise, flames and a mayhem” — this is what Mayank Aggarwal and Giriraj Singh remember of Monday evening, as a blast on the road 100 metres away killed at least nine.

The two men were at Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir, which traces its history to the 17th century. It is believed to have been built during Shah Jahan’s reign as a prayer hall. On Monday evening, a small engagement ceremony was underway at the temple when the blast took place.

“We heard a very loud noise… Initially we thought it was a cylinder blast since there are so many eateries in the area. As we ran out, we saw car parts strewn around and then we saw flesh and body parts,” said Aggarwal, a businessman.

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Singh, who is one of the temple supervisors, was also present at the temple at the time of the incident.

“I was in the office when I heard a very loud sound. A few other employees and I ran out. We saw pieces of flesh, car parts and broken glass everywhere. There was smoke and flames all around,” he said.

A case under sections 16, 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Explosives Act has been registered at Kotwali Police Station in north Delhi.

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