PM Modi meets survivors of Delhi blast at LNJP Hospital

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his arrival from Bhutan on Wednesday, headed straight to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, where he met the injured from the Red Fort blast admitted there.

PM Modi arrived in the national capital in the afternoon following his two-day visit to Bhutan.

At the hospital, he met and interacted with the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.

PM Modi was also briefed by officials and doctors at the hospital.

During his visit to Bhutan, the Prime Minister had expressed deep sorrow over the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort and assured that the government would ensure the “strictest action” against those responsible.

“A tragic incident took place in Delhi. I can understand the pain of the families who lost their loved ones,” PM Modi said in Thimphu.

“I have come here with a heavy heart. The entire nation stands with the affected families in this hour of grief. Our agencies will investigate the matter thoroughly, and all those responsible will be brought to justice.”

Earlier in the day, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had formed a special team of 10 officers to investigate the blast near Delhi's Red Fort Metro Station.

The 10-member special team will be led by NIA ADG Vijay Sakhare and will include an IG, two DIGs, three SPs, and the rest DSP-level officers, sources said on Wednesday.

This comes a day after the Home Ministry on Tuesday handed over the Delhi blast investigation to the NIA.

The blast occurred on the evening of November 10 when a Haryana-registered car parked near Gate No.1 of the Red Fort Metro Station exploded, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens.

The NIA was handed over the case after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took stock of the investigation and the multi-state searches being conducted in the Delhi blast case, reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve to bring the culprits to justice.

Chairing a meeting at his residence with top security officials, HM Shah issued strict instructions to officials to get to the bottom of the conspiracy at the earliest.

More than 1,000 CCTV footage clips are being scanned by investigative agencies, which suspect that the car explosion could have been a suicide attack aimed at causing maximum damage, Delhi Police sources said.

Investigative agencies are also monitoring social media activity and collecting mobile phone dump data from several locations across Delhi.

According to police sources, dump data is being retrieved from all mobile phones that were active in and around the Red Fort area. This data may help identify phone numbers and communication links connected to the car bombing.

HM Shah has also directed the NIA, IB, and Delhi Police Special Cell to work in tandem, vowing, "No stone will be left unturned".

High alerts have been issued in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Mumbai, with security around crowded public places and religious sites enhanced.

--IANS

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