After the Centre decided to hand over the probe into the explosion in a car near Red Fort, which killed at least 9 people and injured several others, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday directed officials to submit a report at the earliest and asked forensic experts to match the samples collected from the bodies in the car.
The decision to hand over the probe to the NIA was taken after two back-to-back high-level security review meetings chaired by Shah at his residence.
“The MHA has issued orders for handing over the investigation of the car blast case to the NIA. The NIA, which has been associated with the local police since Monday, has started the process of formally taking over the case,” a NIA spokesperson said.
According to a NIA source, the agency on Tuesday afternoon picked up the Hyundai i-20 from the spot, along with several other pieces of evidence.
“Raids by security agencies across multiple locations in Delhi-NCR and Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, leading to the recovery of significant quantities of explosives, are believed to have led the suspect to act hastily under mounting pressure. Prime facie, it appears the explosion happened due to panic due to raids carried out by the security agencies to nab the suspect,” the source said.
“Union Home Minister (Shah) has decided to hand over the investigation to the NIA. He has instructed the agency to submit a report at the earliest,” a source said.
“Shah also instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory experts to match the specimens collected from the blast site along with those collected from the bodies inside the car,” the source added.
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Following the two review meetings, Shah wrote on X, “Chaired review meetings on the Delhi car blast with the senior officials. Instructed them to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident. Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies.”
The first meeting was attended by key security and intelligence officials, including Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha, and NIA Director General Sadanand Vasant Date.
Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Nalin Prabhat also joined the meeting virtually.
The director of the Forensic Science Services, and the chief director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Delhi joined the second meeting.
