\u201cThe horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,\u201d says Indian PM
\n NEW DELHI
\nIndian police are investigating a deadly car blast in the capital under a law used to fight \u201cterrorism\u201d, an officer said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible.
\nThe explosion near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured 20. It was the first such blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million since 2011.
\n\u201cToday, I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart,\u201d Modi said in Thimphu, the capital of the neighbouring Himalayan nation, as he arrived on Tuesday for a scheduled visit.
\n\u201cThe horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,\u201d Modi told a public meeting.
\n\u201cOur agencies will get to the very bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared. All those responsible will be brought to justice.\u201d
\nAnti-terror law
\nDeputy Commissioner of Police Raja Banthia said Delhi police had registered a case under the anti-terrorism law as well as the explosives act and other criminal laws.
\nThe law, called the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is India\u2019s main anti-terrorism law. It is used to investigate and prosecute acts related to \u201cterrorism\u201d and activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
\n\u201cInvestigation is at a preliminary stage and any comment on it will be too premature,\u201d Banthia told reporters.
\nNear the site of the blast in the city\u2019s old quarters, a busy market and tourist area, most shops that shut soon after the explosion were yet to open in the early hours of Tuesday.
\nForensic experts were seen scouring the site of the blast, which has been sealed since Monday night and enclosed in white cloth barriers.
\nDelhi Metro said the Red Fort station had been shut for security reasons.
\nPolice said a slow-moving car which stopped at a traffic signal exploded just before 7pm (1330 GMT). Nearby vehicles were also badly damaged.
\nThe explosion left behind mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi.
\nThere was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed. Police said they were tracing the owner of the car.
\nDefence Minister Rajnath Singh said agencies were carrying out a swift, thorough investigation with the findings to be made public soon.
\nRelatives of the victims gathered outside the nearby Lok Nayak hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
\n\u201cWe at least know that my cousin is here, whether he is injured or not or the extent of his injury, we don\u2019t know anything,\u201d said a distressed relative who did not want to be named.
\nModi in Bhutan
\nThe Red Fort, popularly known as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th-century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, thronged by tourists year-round.
\nThe prime minister also addresses the nation from the fort\u2019s ramparts every year on August 15, India\u2019s independence day.
\nModi is in Bhutan for the 70th birthday celebrations of its fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
\nIn April, Modi cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and returned home after 26 men were killed in an attack on Hindu tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe horrific incident that happened in Delhi last evening has deeply disturbed everyone,\u201d says Indian PM NEW DELHI Indian police are investigating a deadly car blast in the capital under a law used to fight \u201cterrorism\u201d, an officer said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-513990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n