Centre hands over Red Fort blast case to NIA after high-level review

After chairing a high-level security meeting at his residence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said investigating agencies were looking at ‘all angles’ and not ruling out any possibility.

Red Fort blast case handed over to NIA: MHA

Shah said that it was difficult to determine the cause of the incident, adding that no conclusion could be drawn until the samples from the site were analysed. (Express Photo/Gajendra Yadav)

The Centre on Tuesday decided to hand over the probe into the explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 13 people and injured several others, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources said. The decision was taken during a high-level security review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence.

“Shah chaired a high-level security review meeting at 11 am. The Union home secretary, the Intelligence Bureau director, the Delhi police commissioner, and the NIA director-general attended the meeting. The Jammu and Kashmir DGP also joined the meeting virtually,” an official said.

A source said the DGPs of Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir collected information about Monday’s blast and the Jammu and Kashmir Police operation in Uttar Pradesh, where 358 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate was seized from the rented accommodation of one of the accused in Faridabad’s Dhauj village.

Story continues below this ad

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the “conspirators will not be spared” and “all those responsible will be brought to justice”, Shah said the investigating agencies were looking at “all angles” and not ruling out any possibility. Shah, who visited the blast site, said that it was difficult to determine the cause of the incident, adding that no conclusion could be drawn until the samples from the site were analysed.

ALSO READ | Red Fort blast: DNA from Umar Nabi’s mother could prove crucial link in confirming bomber’s identity

Meanwhile, security was heightened across the country on Tuesday, even as investigators traced the movements of a Hyundai i20, which was the alleged source of the explosion on Monday night, and zeroed in on a 34-year-old resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, who allegedly bought the vehicle.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram