Delhi High Court blast: 11 killed, 64 injured 07/09/2011

New Delhi: Terror has struck Delhi again, Wednesday, when a powerful bomb went off out

side the Delhi High Court at 10.17 am. At least 11 persons are confirmed dead, while more than 85 others are injured.

Home Minister P Chidambaram confirmed in Parliament that the blast was a terror attack. However, the module behind the attack is yet to be identified. He said that the perpetrators of the blast would be brought to justice.

The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has taken over the investigation and is probing all angles.

Home Secretary RK Singh said the blast was of "medium to high intensity" and created a "deep crater" at the site, adding that, "It had all the makings of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) set up by a terror group."

As per eyewitnesses, the blast was very loud and powerful. The bomb is believed to have been placed in a briefcase and left near gate number five of the court.

Amid pandemonium, the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals like Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital. The death toll may increase further as many of the injured are in a serious condition.

Gate number five of the High Court is near the reception and is very crowded in the mornings as people queue up to gain entry into the court. Around 200 people are said to have been at the spot at the time of the blast.

Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta is at the spot. The entire area has been cordoned off by the Indian Army; forensic teams, including from the NSG, are already at work to collect evidence, while NSG commandos are on standby.

NIA sleuths are also at the spot.

Investigators are suspecting the use of potassium nitrate, unconfirmed reports claimed.

An emergency was convened by Union Home Secretary RK Singh at the Home Ministry to take stock of the situation.

Speaking to Zee News, UK Bansal, Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “As of now, no details about the nature of the blast have emerged. The investigating agencies are probing every aspect of the blast.”

When quizzed by reporters whether it was an intelligence failure, Bansal said, “There was no specific intelligence input regarding today’s blast but this aspect will certainly be probed by investigating agencies.”

“It would be too early to say anything as to who is behind the blast as all important cites are generally on terror hit list,” Bansal said, adding, “An alert has been sounded in the entire city.”

On May 25, a blast had ripped through the parking lot of the High Court, but the police are yet to crack the case.

As per the people who were present in the court that day as well, today’s blast is more powerful than the last one.

Compensation announced for victims

Meanwhile, state’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of the kin of those killed in the blast outside the Delhi High Court while those permanently incapacitated will get Rs 2 lakh.

Those seriously injured in the blast will get Rs one lakh while in case of any death of minor, the family will get Rs 1.5 lakh. People who received minor injuries in the blast will be given Rs 10,000.

The compensation was announced after Dikshit visited the injured at the RML hospital. Terming the incident as "very tragic", Dikshit said Delhi Government will provide all possible support to victims of the blast.

Rahul Vallamber