Blast outside Delhi HC, 9 killed, 47 injured

New Delhi: Terror struck Delhi when nine people were killed and at least 45 injured in a blast this morning outside the High Court premises jampacked with visitors waiting to get entry passes. Union Home Secretary R K Singh said the blast was of “medium to high intensity” and created a “deep crater” at the site of explosion at the reception area between Gate No 4 and 5 of Delhi High Court. The blast occurred around 1015 AM. [caption id=“attachment_78129” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“It was the second blast in four months outside the High Court premises. Screengrab/ibnlive”]  [/caption] Asked whether the blast was a terror strike, Singh said “it had all the makings of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) set up by a terror group.” Singh said 45 people were injured with some eyewitnesses saying some of the injured were in a critical condition. Special Commissioner Dharmendra Kumar told reporters the bomb was apparently kept in a briefcase. It was the second blast in four months outside the High Court premises. No one was injured in the previous explosion on 25 May. The Gate No.5 was crowded with 100 to 200 people waiting in queue to get entry passes. There were several lawyers at the spot. “We are investigating how the brief case was placed there It is not a controlled area. There were lots of people,” said Kumar. Delhi police suspected use of potassium nitrate in the bomb. Court proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM. The main court premises where all the courtrooms are housed have been evacuated. Singh said the bomb was kept in a suitcase since some of its remains were still in it. He said all the injured have been rushed to RML, Safdarjung and AIIMS hospitals. Many of them suffered burn injuries. Singh said there was no prior intelligence input about a possible attack at Delhi High Court. The blast happened in a public area where anyone can just come and drop a suitcase and walk away, he added. Teams of National Investigating Agency(NIA), National Security Guards(MSG) and Forensic department have been rushed to the spot. Court business is usually heavy on Wednesday which is listed as a Public Interest Litation(PIL) day when the visitors come to the court in large numbers. Ambulances and fire tenders were also rushed. An explosion on 25 May triggered panic prompting the authorities to sound a high alert in the capital and tighten security at public places. No one was injured. Low-intensity explosives, wrapped in a polythene bag and kept close to the car parked near Gate No. 7, went off around 1.30 PM. Ammonium nitrate, a battery-like object, wires and some nails were found at the site by forensic experts. The previous worst terror attack in the Capital was on 13 September, 2008 when a series of five synchronised bomb blasts took place within a span of few minutes at various locations in Delhi. 30 people killed and over 100 injured in this strike. There was no immediate claim of any responsibility for the blast. After the bomb blast ripped through the reception area, panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter as it was chaos at the Delhi High Court premises. Rahul Gupta, a litigant, was at the reception counter just 10 metres away from the blast site. “I was just 10 metres from the site of the blast,” said Gupta, adding, he saw “large number of injured people being taken to hospital.” A middle-aged woman, who had come to the High Court to get bail for her relative and was asked to make a pass at the Reception by her lawyer, said she is in a state of shock. She was talking to the clerk when the explosion occurred. “I heard a loud noise and hallowing smoke coming out and heard cries of people,” said Narendra Kumar Singh, a guard at a construction site outside the court. Several eyewitnesses said they momentarily lost their hearing capability after the explosion. PTI