New Delhi [India], November 11 (ANI): Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday met the victims of the blast that occurred near Red Fort on Monday evening at the Lok Nayak Hospital.

Saxena, who was on his official visit to Gujarat's Kevadia in relation to the Delhi Day celebration at 'Rashtra Parv', cut short his visit and rushed back to Ahmedabad and then to Delhi on Tuesday.

In a post on X, the Raj Niwas (the official account of Delhi LG), said, 'Hon'ble @LtGovDelhi, Shri VK Saxena, who was on an official visit to Kevadia in relation to Delhi Day celebration at 'Rashtra Parv', cut short his visit and rushed back to Ahmedabad and then to Delhi. He visited the Lok Nayak Hospital immediately thereafter, took stock of the situation and interacted with the victims admitted there.'

https://x.com/rajniwasdelhi/status/1988140083309146276?s=48

The LG has appealed to the people to maintain calm and assured that investigations will be completed at the earliest possible and the guilty will be brought to justice.

'The Lt Governor has appealed to the people to maintain calm. Delhi Police, which is investigating the tragic incident along with Central Agencies, will be providing authentic updates from time to time. Shri Saxena has assured that investigations will be completed at the earliest possible and the guilty will be brought to book,' the social media post added.

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort in central Delhi, killing at least eight people and injuring several others. The blast occurred around 7 pm at the Subhash Marg traffic signal, damaging nearby vehicles and prompting a nationwide alert.

Delhi Police registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosives Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Kotwali Police Station. Multiple agencies are investigating the explosion to determine its cause and motive.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has chaired a high-level security review meeting at his residence to assess the situation following the deadly blast in Delhi that killed eight people and injured several others on Monday evening.

The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat joined the meeting virtually.

Sources said the review focused on the progress of the investigation into the explosion that occurred around 7 pm on Monday near the Red Fort Metro Station, as well as on a possible link with the recent seizure of a huge cache of explosives from Faridabad.

Following the explosion, Shah directed a multi-agency investigation involving the NIA, National Security Guard (NSG), Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and Delhi Police to determine the cause, nature, and source of the explosives.

A team from the FSL and the NIA revisited the blast site on Tuesday morning to collect additional forensic evidence. The NIA is currently assisting the Delhi Police in in the investigation.

In the meeting, sources said, the officials are learnt to discuss the explosive recovery from a house in Fariadabad on Monday as it seems interlinked.

In a major breakthrough on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Haryana Police, recovered 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and 2,900 kg of IED-making materials, including chemicals, detonators, and wires, from an apartment in Faridabad.

Officials suspect the Delhi blast and the Faridabad recovery may be part of a larger terror network operating across state lines. (ANI)