‘Felt like I was taken back to 2005’: Red Fort blast reopens the wounds of Sarojini Nagar terror attack 20 years ago

As soon as Chandni Chowk Traders Association president Ashok Randhawa, whose colleague was killed in the 2005 blasts, heard about Monday’s explosion, he rushed to the aid of the families of the victims. “I felt like I was taken back to 2005,” he said.

Written by Saman Husain

New Delhi | Updated: November 12, 2025 11:45 AM IST

3 min read

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Debris of vehicles being removed from the blast site outside Red Fort in New Delhi on Tuesday.

On the evening of October 29, 2005 — two days before Diwali — the bustle at Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market turned into chaos when a pressure cooker kept near Shyam Juice Corner exploded. That was not all. The Capital on that day saw a series of blasts. Sixty-two people were killed and more than 200 injured in what was called the deadliest terror attack in the history of the city.

Two decades later, on Monday evening, another explosion — this time near the Red Fort, opposite the pedestrian stretch of Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk — shook Delhi once again, reviving memories of the night of fire and panic in 2005.

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Randhawa, who was serving as the president of the Sarojini Nagar Market Association back then, recalled how Lalchand Saluja, who owned Shyam Juice Corner, had sought his help in managing the crowd.

“It was Dhanteras. The market saw a footfall of several lakhs. He (Saluja) had called me to help disperse the crowd. I told him they wouldn’t listen to me, and I went to call the police. As soon as I reached a nearby police booth, the bomb exploded,” said Randhawa.

Saluja was killed on the spot. “His body was torn into two pieces. Fire tenders were rushed and there was flesh, blood and bodies all around. For three days, some body parts would randomly fall from the trees. The lower part of Saluja ji’s body was found metres away…,” Randhawa said.

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After the tragedy, Randhawa started an NGO, the South Asian Forum for People Against Terror. “We get in touch with blast victims and try to help them in whatever way we can,” he said.

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For the traders at the high-footfall market, the horror feels cyclical.

“The metro is a hotch-potch… jam-packed. There is no security, no fire extinguishers, no beat officers on the ground. What are we waiting for? Another tragedy?” Randhawa said.

Two decades on, traders say both Sarojini Nagar and Chandni Chowk remain dangerously overcrowded — their lanes choked with unauthorised hawkers, illegal extensions, and unchecked footfall.

Sanjay Bhargava, president of the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said, “Every inch of the market is occupied by hawkers. The police checkpoint is always locked, and hawkers sit right under it. On weekends, the market gets over one lakh visitors — if this had happened then, there would have been a stampede.”

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Traders also said that nobody pays heed to their warnings until a tragedy — like the 2005 blasts or the one that took place on Monday — reminds the city of what has not been and needs to be fixed.

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