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

Home Minister Amit Shah said Monday, “It is difficult to say what caused the incident. Until the samples recovered from the blast site are analysed by forensic authorities and NSG, we can’t say anything. But we are not ruling out anything, and are investigating the matter from all angles.” In the days leading up to the blast, J&K Police had arrested two doctors from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for alleged links to the terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH).

At least 13 people were killed and several were injured following a blast inside a moving i20 car outside Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening.

Frequency of terror attacks in India, and Delhi

The Monday blast marks a break from a period of relative calm in the national capital in recent years. The last instance of a terror attack in Delhi was in February 2012, more than 13 years ago, when a bomb exploded near the Israeli embassy. Before that, the 2005-2011 period was particularly fraught, with Delhi witnessing at least five terror attacks in heavily populated locations such as Connaught Place and Sarojini Nagar.

In September 2011, a blast at the Delhi High Court’s reception killed 15 people and injured 100 others. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is also probing the Monday blast, had then said that the explosion was the handiwork of Hizbul Mujahideen, aimed at threatening the Indian judiciary.

Preceding that was the attack in September 2010, before the Commonwealth Games, when two bike-borne assailants had fired at tourists at the gate of the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.

Nationally, after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, there were no major incidents until 2010, when a bomb blast was recorded at the German Bakery in Pune. The same year, firing and bomb blast incidents were witnessed in Delhi and Varanasi in September and December 2010, respectively. In the following year, serial bomb blasts took place in Mumbai in July 2011 and then at the Delhi High Court in September 2011.

Govt’s multi-pronged approach on terror

The government has taken various measures to combat terrorism over the years, including the establishment of NSG (National Security Guard) hubs near metropolitan cities, and the reorganisation of the Multi-Agency Centre to enable 24×7 functioning for real-time collation and sharing of intelligence with other official agencies. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was amended in 2008 to define more punitive measures to combat terrorism.

The National Investigation Agency was constituted following the Mumbai terror attacks under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, to investigate and prosecute offences under the Act, along with the creation of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID). The Prevention of Money Laundering Act was also amended in 2009 to inter alia, include certain offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, as a predicate offence (which has generated the money that was later laundered).

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