Shook the ground under my feet: Panic as car blast hits near Delhi’s Red Fort

Published: 12 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

A day after a powerful explosion in Delhi killed at least eight people, witnesses described scenes of horror and disbelief near the Red Fort — one of India’s most iconic landmarks — as windows shattered and panicked crowds fled what many thought was an earthquake.

Dozens were injured when a slow-moving car detonated at a busy traffic signal near the historic Red Fort on Monday evening. The blast, now being treated as a suspected terrorist attack, has prompted India’s top security agencies to launch a high-level investigation under the country’s stringent anti-terrorism laws. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

The location of the explosion, mere metres from where the prime minister traditionally delivers his Independence Day address, has intensified alarm. At the nearby 17th-century Digambar Jain Lal Mandir temple, just 100 metres away, devotees were offering evening prayers when the shockwave hit.

“We were inside when the blast shook the temple so hard that all the glass windows shattered. It felt like a strong earthquake had hit us,” one devotee told The Independent on Tuesday.

CCTV footage and mobile phone videos captured from the bustling Chandni Chowk market showed people running for cover moments after the deafening explosion. The area, normally crowded with traders, tourists, and rickshaws, descended into chaos as thick smoke and debris filled the air.

Officials have called the incident “rare and shocking,” given the site’s heavy security presence and its proximity to major government buildings. The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, draws millions of visitors each year and remains one of the capital’s most densely patrolled zones.

On Tuesday morning, police and forensic experts were seen combing through the blast site, collecting car parts, shattered glass, and fragments of wiring for evidence. Special investigation teams and units of the Rapid Action Force cordoned off the surrounding area, while traffic was rerouted across Old Delhi.

An eyewitness at the temple, who requested anonymity, described the grim aftermath. “The impact was so powerful that pieces of human remains were thrown into the temple courtyard. It was horrific.”

Ravsaheb Hundekar, a tourist from Kolhapur staying at the temple guesthouse, said he narrowly escaped death by minutes. “I was about to head to the metro station near the signal when the explosion happened. If I had left earlier, I would have been right there,” he said, still shaken.

The temple, one of the most revered Jain shrines in Delhi, has been temporarily closed, with devotees assisting the authorities in providing eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage.

Among those turned away from the temple was 69-year-old Israeli visitor Moshe, who had been travelling across India on a spiritual retreat. “I came here after visiting Buddhist sites across the country. It’s heartbreaking to see such a sacred place closed because of violence,” he said.

While investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the blast, India’s home minister Amit Shah said that “all possible angles are being investigated.” Officials are examining whether the car contained ammonium nitrate — a highly explosive chemical compound — possibly mixed with fuel oil and detonators.

The incident comes amid a series of heightened security alerts in and around the capital. Just a day before the blast, Delhi police recovered 360 kilograms of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a property in Faridabad, a nearby suburb. Authorities are now probing potential links between the two incidents.

As the nation reels from the shock, Delhi remains under tight security. Roads near the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk are still sealed, with police urging citizens to avoid the area. For many, however, the trauma lingers.

“It wasn’t just a blast,” said a local shopkeeper whose business lies near the site. “It felt like the ground under our feet had given way.”