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

Bustling Chandni Chowk unusually quiet, police ask people to keep moving

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Nov 12, 2025 11:44 AM IST

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At Old Lajpat Rai Market in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Praveen Khanna)

In the dim corridor between two rows of locked shops at the Old Lajpat Rai Market, only about 100 m from the spot where a car exploded outside Gate 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, 65-year-old Shyam Sundar Chouhan stood staring at the white sheets draped across the entrance to the lane. Behind the white sheets was the cordoned off area, where the explosion took place on Monday, killing 13 people.

“I was drinking tea when it happened. It felt like a building had collapsed… The ground was shaking,” said Chouhan, who had been running a small bag shop at the market for half a century – first with his father and now alone.

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.

Also Read | Red Fort blast: Doctor who went missing after Jaish module bust in Faridabad likely the bomber, police say, as Pulwama becomes probe ground zero

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.”

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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.

Also Read | How Delhi’s Red Fort blast, first in capital in 13 years, marks a break from recent trend

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.

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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.

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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.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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