‘We’re not expecting customers. Everybody is scared’: Locked shops and thin crowds near Red Fort markets a day after blast

Red Fort Blast Live Updates November 12

On Tuesday, he could only wonder when he would be able to open his shop next. “It is okay if I lose money for a few days. Desh ke liye itna toh kar hi sakte hain (We can do at least this much for the country),” he said.

Around him, the market – one of Delhi’s most crowded electronics hubs – had fallen into an unnatural quiet.

Across the lane, Mukesh Varma (35), who repairs mobile phones in the market, said, “The blast happened right in front of us… At that time, I lost my ability to think.”

His shop, like the others, was also shuttered. His bike, parked behind the area of the blast, was still out of reach.

“I came today hoping to collect my bike, but the police are not allowing anybody near the blast area,” he said. “We don’t know when the market will open. Maybe two days, four days, a week.”

Most shopkeepers have already left for Daryaganj, hoping to sell some wares and wait out the closure, he said.

About 300 to 400 m from the blast site, the usually dense stream of shoppers and tourists leading toward the Prachin Shri Gauri Shankar Mandir had thinned into scattered clusters. Autorickshaws and e-rickshaws attempted to inch forward but were repeatedly pushed aside by security personnel shouting into loudspeakers, warning people to keep moving and avoid crowds.

Near the temple, flower seller Sugreev (60) sat arranging carnations for pre-booked deliveries. His shop has only partially opened. “We are only preparing for the orders that were already placed,” he said. “If we shut for a day or two, it is fine. But if flowers lose freshness, we might run into a loss.”

At Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, located about 500 m from the spot of the blast – right next to the Sunheri Masjid – the Gurbani continued as always. But the courtyard was thinly populated, a stillness that, in Chandni Chowk, felt louder than any chant.

Across the gurdwara, Annapurna Bhandar – the beloved Bengali sweets shop established in 1929 – was also unusually quiet. By noon, its glass shelves were still full.

Subroto Bera (39) who has worked at the shop since he was a teenager, recalled the moment of the blast: “I was just about to close the shop. First, we thought it was a cylinder that had burst.”

He and his colleagues returned on Tuesday only because the sweets had already been baked the previous night. “Usually by afternoon, half our stock is gone. Tonight, we may still have some left.”

Between the gurdwara and the barricaded blast site, in the narrow artery of Gali Khajanchi, lies Santosh Tiwari’s (55) saree shop, Bridge and Sons. “Why would someone want to come here and die? For this entire week, we are not expecting customers. Everybody is scared,” he said.

Tiwari was born in Chandni Chowk and has spent the last 12 years running this shop. “This is practically home,” he said. “Today, I see fear in people around me. Still, what option do we have? Our job is to open our shop, so we did and are trying to get some business done.”

HIGH ALERT

• Red Fort metro station will remain closed for the second day in a row on Wednesday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said.
• All other stations functioned normally on Tuesday, DMRC said.
• Installations secured by the Central Industrial Security Force in the NCR, including Delhi Metro, Red Fort, government buildings and the IGI Airport, have been put on high alert.
• Situation is being  monitored and officers are on standby.
• IGI Airport authorities advised passengers to reach well in advance as the security screening process was taking longer.