Delhi explosion Kills Eight Near Red Fort, Heightening Security Alert
At least eight people were killed and several injured in an explosion near the historic Red Fort in Delhi Friday evening, prompting a high alert across the capital and neighboring states, police reported. The cause of the blast is currently under investigation.
The explosion has revived memories of a period of frequent urban bombings that plagued India in the mid-2000s. While large-scale bombings have been relatively rare since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in 166 deaths, this incident underscores the ongoing security challenges facing the contry and will likely trigger a widespread security response.
The last major bombings in Delhi occurred in September 2008, when coordinated blasts struck busy markets, killing approximately 20 people. Similar attacks that year targeted Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and bangalore, with Islamist militant groups and a student organization suspected of involvement. in the period following October 2005, over 400 people were killed in bomb attacks across Indian cities, according to BBC reporting at the time.
Authorities are working to determine whether the red Fort explosion was accidental or deliberate. Nonetheless of the cause, the incident serves as a stark reminder of a more volatile past when bombings were a recurring threat to urban life in India.
