 "Major explosions have rocked the capital over the years. A Delhi police officer checks the back of a damaged car, after a bomb ripped through a crowded commercial district in Delhi on December 30, 1997. AFP")
A powerful car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening has left the city shaken. The explosion, which went off around 6:52 pm near the Lal Quila metro station, killed at least nine people and injured 24 others, police said. The impact was so strong that it set nearby vehicles on fire and sent people running in panic.
The injured were rushed to LNJP Hospital as police and fire teams worked to control the flames and secure the area.
For a city that’s been relatively calm for years, a blast out of the blue hit hard, like a reminder of the painful chapters Delhi thought it had left behind.
Here’s a look at some of the major explosions that have rocked the capital over the years.
2011: Delhi High Court explosion
The last major blast before Monday’s incident was in 2011, when a briefcase bomb exploded outside the Delhi High Court, leaving 15 dead and 79 injured.
Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami claimed responsibility for the attack and is believed to have carried it out with support from the Indian Mujahideen. It stated the motive was the commuting of the death sentence for the 2001 Indian Parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru.
2008: Blasts rock Connaught Place, GK & Karol Bagh
On 13 September 2008, five explosions occurred within 31 minutes (from 18:07 to 18:38 IST) in bustling markets such as Karol Bagh, Connaught Place and M-Block Market in Greater Kailash. At least 25 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
One blast occurred at Ghaffar Market near Karol Bagh at 18:07, injuring at least 20 people when a cursed cylinder blast sent an auto rickshaw flying. At 18:34 and 18:35, bombs exploded near Barakhamba Road and Central Park in Connaught Place. The final blasts struck M-Block Market.
Investigations later found low-intensity explosives tied to integrated circuits and timer devices in several of the bombs.
2008: Mehrauli Flower Market blast
On 27 September 2008, a low-intensity bomb exploded at the flower market in Mehrauli near the Qutub Minar, killing three people and injuring around 21 to 23 others.
Witnesses said two men on a motorcycle threw a packet wrapped in black plastic into the crowded market. One young boy who picked up the packet was killed.
“He ran after the men telling them ‘uncle, uncle you dropped something’,” witness Raj Singh Daswal told Reuters. “Immediately after, there was a huge explosion. The boy’s head was blown off.”
2005: Three blasts rock Delhi markets
Sixty-six people were killed, and more than 100 were injured, including some foreigners, when three blasts ripped through Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj markets and one in a bus in the Govindpuri area of Delhi ahead of Diwali, on October 29, 2005.
2000: Red Fort vicinity bomb blasts
On 18 June 2000, twin powerful bomb blasts near the Red Fort killed two people, including an 8-year-old girl and injured around a dozen others.
1998: Kashmiri Gate Bus blast
On 26 July 1998, a high-intensity explosion ripped through a bus parked at Kashmiri Gate’s Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), killing two people and injuring three.
1997: A year of multiple blasts
1997 saw a horrifying string of bombs in Delhi:
On November 30, twin blasts near the Red Fort area killed three people and wounded about 70.
On October 26, twin blasts in the Karol Bagh market killed one and injured 34.
On October 18, two blasts in the Rani Bagh market left one dead and 23 injured.
On October 10, three blasts in Shantivan, Kauria Pul and Kingsway Camp injured one person and 16 others.
On October 1, two explosions near a procession in Sadar Bazar injured 30 people.
On January 9, a bomb exploded opposite the Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO, injuring 50 people.
With input from agencies