A 22-year-old trader from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, Nauman, was identified as one of the victims killed in the devastating car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station on November 10, 2025, leaving his family in profound grief as they grappled with the sudden loss during what was meant to be a routine business trip. Nauman, a resident of Jhinjhana town, had travelled to the national capital to procure cosmetics for his small-scale trading business, a common venture for many from the agrarian region bordering Haryana. Accompanied by his 21-year-old relative Aman, who sustained injuries in the blast, Nauman's body was among those recovered from the mangled wreckage, with his family arriving at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital early on November 11 to claim his remains amid chaotic scenes of wailing relatives and overwhelmed medical staff. This tragedy underscores the indiscriminate nature of the attack, claiming ordinary lives in a bustling heritage zone frequented by out-of-state visitors seeking economic opportunities in Delhi's vibrant markets.
The explosion, which occurred at approximately 6:52 PM near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station—a high-traffic intersection teeming with evening commuters, temple-goers, and tourists—originated from a slow-moving Haryana-registered Hyundai i20 at a traffic signal, instantly engulfing nearby vehicles in flames and scattering shrapnel across the crowded Old Delhi lanes.
Among the injured were 28-year-old Ankush Sharma and 20-year-old Rahul Kaushik, locals from Shahdara who had just visited the nearby Gauri Shankar Temple on their motorcycle when the blast hurled Ankush onto an adjacent car, inflicting 80% burns to his face and body, leaving him critically ill in the ICU. Rahul, suffering severe burns that singed his hair and impaired his hearing while affecting his legs and torso, heroically ferried his friend to the hospital before collapsing and being admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital himself, his quick thinking credited by family members as potentially life-saving. Eyewitness accounts described a thunderous roar followed by a fireball and acrid smoke, evoking panic reminiscent of past urban terror incidents in the city.
Outside LNJP Hospital on the morning of November 11, an atmosphere of raw anguish and disarray prevailed as distraught families from across Delhi and neighbouring states converged, some clutching faded photographs of the missing while others collapsed in sobs upon receiving grim confirmations from harried doctors. Relatives of Nauman, visibly shattered, recounted how Aman—now bandaged and under observation—had miraculously survived but was too traumatised to recount the horror in detail, his account pieced together from fragmented calls amid the chaos.
Similar scenes unfolded at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where Rahul's mother tearfully appealed for prayers, decrying the lack of immediate updates and alleging initial mismanagement in triaging the influx of burn victims. The hospital corridors echoed with cries of "Where is my son?" as over 20 injured individuals, many with shrapnel wounds and respiratory distress from inhaled fumes, awaited treatment, highlighting the strain on Delhi's public health infrastructure during such crises and prompting Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to visit and assure enhanced support.
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The broader probe, now formalised under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Explosive Substances Act, points to a possible terror nexus amplified by the timing—mere hours after Haryana Police unearthed 2,900 kg of suspected explosives in Faridabad, just 50 km away, leading to the arrest of two individuals linked to a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed module.
Delhi Police Special Cell's CCTV reconstruction traces the suspect Hyundai i20's entry from Faridabad via the Badarpur border, its prolonged parking near Sunehri Masjid, and erratic movement toward central Delhi before detonation, with forensic teams confirming Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) residues suggestive of an improvised device. Union Home Minister Amit Shah's high-level meeting on November 11 with NIA, NSG, and intelligence chiefs has escalated multi-agency raids across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir, detaining over 13 suspects, including the car's prior owners, while heightened alerts blanket airports, railways, and markets nationwide to preempt copycat threats.
As the nation mourns—Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar are among those offering condolences—this incident not only shatters families like Nauman's but also reignites debates on urban vulnerability in India's megacities, where economic migration intersects with fortified heritage sites. With international partners like the U.S. Embassy issuing travel advisories and monitoring consular impacts, the focus intensifies on swift justice and resilience-building, from advanced surveillance to community outreach, ensuring that the Red Fort—a bastion of historical triumph—does not become synonymous with modern-day sorrow. Hospitals report gradual stabilisation of survivors like Aman and Rahul, yet the emotional scars on grieving kin like Nauman's underscore the human cost beyond statistics, urging a collective resolve against the shadows of extremism.
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