- 15 hours ago
A special report details the investigation into a suicide car bombing near Delhi's Red Fort that killed ten people. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is leading the probe, which has uncovered a 'white-collar' terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed. Based in Faridabad, this interstate network involved educated professionals, including doctors. The alleged bomber has been identified as Dr. Muhammad Umar. Authorities seized nearly 2,900 kg of explosives from the module's location in Faridabad. Speaking from Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that all those responsible for the conspiracy will be brought to justice and will not be spared. The report includes analysis from former IPS Officer Dr. Kiran Bedi and strategic studies professor Dr. Brahma Chellaney on the changing nature of terrorism in India, highlighting the shift from border conflicts to sleeper cells within cities. The human cost of the attack is also examined through the stories of the victims.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, you're watching To The Point. I'm Treeti Chowdhury.
00:02To give you a sense of where I am, right outside the Red Fort Metro Station,
00:08completely been cordoned off, the Red Fort Metro Station is now closed.
00:14The surrounding areas, all shops have been shut down.
00:17Chandni Chowk is completely shut right behind me.
00:19Forensic team, the NIA team are combing operations on,
00:23and every piece of evidence is being tested.
00:26Till now, there has been no official confirmation whether or not this has been a terror attack,
00:30but the sheer fact that the NIA has been handed over the probe
00:35seems to clearly suggest that now this is a counter-terror operation which is on.
00:41On the other hand, the suicide bomber is seemingly directly linked to the terror module
00:49that was busted yesterday morning, a terror triangle,
00:52where the state of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir is concerned,
00:57tracing its links to Jaish-e-Mohammed, which traces its footprints to Pakistan.
01:04Once again, we'd like to hark back on what our Prime Minister had said post-Operation Sindur,
01:09stating it is an ongoing operation and any act of terror would be considered an act of war.
01:15All of that being broken down over the course of the next 45 minutes.
01:19Allow me to take you through the headlines.
01:22CCTV footage of the I-20 car has surfaced.
01:31Suspect Dr. Omar seen inside the I-20 wearing a black mask.
01:35The car entered Delhi from the Badarpur-Tol Plaza at 8.13 a.m. yesterday.
01:45Delhi blast accused Omar has a checkered past.
01:49He was thrown out of a hospital for the death of a patient in 2023.
02:00Heat on more doctors of terror after Delhi blasts.
02:03Jihadi lady doctor of terror Shaheen Shahid involved in Faridabad terror module.
02:09Sources suggest Jihadi doctor was tasked to establish Jaish women's wing.
02:18As the death toll in the Delhi blast rises to 10, Prime Minister Modi from Thimpu Bhutan sounds a big warning.
02:31Assets that conspirators won't be scared,
02:34Assets that conspirators won't be spared,
02:37will be taken to task.
02:41Iskay Pichhe ke shadi antrakarion ko
02:44baksa nahin jayega.
02:51All those responsible
02:53will be brought to justice.
02:57And Bihar looks set to replicate its historic voter turnout in Phase 2 of polling as well.
03:17Over 67.14% turnout recorded at just 5pm.
03:276.52 is when that car stopped.
03:56A blast takes place, there are multiple other cars which get engulfed.
04:00Civil Defence people and as well as Delhi police personals are deployed here.
04:04All the agencies are all here.
04:07They have been cordoned off the whole area.
04:10How explosives were taken inside Delhi.
04:14The clear link now is being established with the Jaish camp as well as the Faridabad module over there.
04:21The Red Fort suicide bomber attack now clearly established as a terror attack with the NIA taking over the probe.
04:36Confirms if you put together, stitch together the sequence of events of the last 24 hours, a footprint that can be traced all the way to Pakistan.
04:46Of course, more investigation, detailed investigation is warranted whether or not the main actors in this terror plot can be linked to Pakistan.
04:57But the sheer fact that the terror module that was busted to which is linked Dr. Omar Mohamed, who was behind the wheels of the I-20, which was laden with explosives and detonated in front of gate number one at Red Fort Metro Station right behind me, sees its links, bears its link to the terror module that was busted yesterday.
05:212,900 kilos of ammonium nitrate explosives, sophisticated weaponry in terms of AK-47, AK-57 pistols, all of that that was amassed and busted by the Jammu and Kashmir police points out to the footprint of the Jaish-e-Mohamed, which again traces its links all the way back to Pakistan, Bahawalpur.
05:51The Red Fort terror blast.
05:56And now a widening probe that points beyond Delhi.
06:03Investigators are tracking not just a car and its driver, but what they believe could be the footprint of a larger network.
06:12At 8.04 am Monday, the I-20, which exploded, entered Delhi from the Badarpur border.
06:19By 8.20, it was caught on CCTV at a petrol pump in Okla.
06:24Hours later, at 3.19 pm, the same car drove into the Sunheri Masjid parking lot near the Red Fort, where it stayed for nearly three hours.
06:35At 6.48 pm, it rolled out of the lot and just minutes later, exploded at a red light near the Red Fort, killing nine people.
06:45The man behind the wheel, Dr. Muhammad Umar, now believed to have been part of a larger terror module operating from Delhi to Pulwama.
06:56The I-20 bearing the number HR 26 CE 7674 is now at the centre of a deepening terror probe.
07:07Its ownership trail winds through multiple hands, and now investigators are piecing together who was behind this car of terror, a trail that runs from Haryana to Pulwama.
07:19The I-20 was first owned by Mohamed Salmar, who says he sold it to a man named Nadeem.
07:25Nadeem passed it on to a used car dealer in Faridabad.
07:29From there, Tariq, a Pulwama resident, bought it.
07:32The final buyer, Dr. Umar, is alleged to have been behind the wheel where the blast took place.
07:38Investigators now say, Umar wasn't just a buyer.
07:44He was allegedly the mastermind of the Red Fort blast, part of a sleeper cell linked to Jaishya Muhammad.
07:51Two of his close associates, Dr. Adil Ahmed Rathay and Muzammil Shaqeel are already under arrest.
07:59Shaqeel was picked up by the Jammu Kashmir police on October 30, just days after Adil Rathay's detention.
08:06Their interrogation led investigators to a shocking discovery.
08:13The cops recovered 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making material, including 350 kilograms of an explosive agent, ammonium nitrate, from the residence of Muzammil Shaqeel, a medical professor at the Alphala Hospital in Haryana, Swaridabad, near Delhi.
08:31Dr. Umar was also employed at the Alphala Hospital.
08:35Sources tell India today that Dr. Umar maintained encrypted online contact with suspected handlers abroad.
08:42When the Faridabad module was busted, Umar panicked and, fearing arrest, allegedly planted the explosives himself in the I-20, carrying out what investigators believe was a suicide mission.
08:55The explosion killed him instantly, along with eight others caught in the blast radius.
09:01DNA samples are now being matched to confirm Umar's identity.
09:06Multiple agencies, including the NIA, Delhi Police Special Cell and IB are now probing the module's communication trail, financial links and possible instructions from Jaishya Muhammad's base in Pakistan's Bahawalpur region.
09:21As the probe deepens, the question grows louder.
09:24Was this just one cell acting alone?
09:27Or the sign of a revived network trying to strike in the heart of India?
09:32Vera Report, India Today.
09:34I'm going to take a moment to introduce our ACE investigative team that have been on the story, on the suicide mission that was orchestrated yesterday, getting us the most authentic, verified, importantly correct reportage.
09:51Shreya Chatterjee, who has been speaking to her sources, breaking news ever since the course of 6.55pm yesterday, and Munish Pandey, who tracks all the agencies for us.
10:02I want to begin with Shreya Chatterjee.
10:04Shreya, give us a sense.
10:05Two things right now are established.
10:07Number one, that what took place yesterday was a suicide mission, clearly with the footprint of terror in all probability linking to the Jaishya Muhammad, tracing its way all the way back to Pakistan.
10:20What more can you add?
10:21Well, these are all confirmed information, Preeti, that has trickled down right now.
10:30Clearly, what the police right now is investigating on how this module was operating, how the radicalization took place, what were the sleeper cells that were activated to move the amount of cache of ammunition that was recovered by the Haryana police to the tune of 2,900 kilos of ammonium nitrate along with an assault rifle.
10:49All these three individuals arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police are right now being questioned by multi agencies.
10:55With the NIA taking the investigation, we will see that transfer of custody also take place, where they will also be questioned by the NIA.
11:03As of now, the Delhi police has also submitted a preliminary report to the MHA that details how the I-20 car moved across the national capital, thereby leading to the detonation that led to that blast, which killed and also injured multiple individuals.
11:19But the primary focus right now of all our agencies, including multiple state police, is to nab if at all there are any other individuals hiding in that white collar terror module that was initially busted by the Jammu and Kashmir police on Sunday from Faridabad's Dodge Village.
11:35You know, Shreya, stay with me.
11:40You know, taking off from what you said, I want to rope in Manish who tracks the agencies very closely.
11:44Manish, what is exactly that we are looking at?
11:46What are your sources telling you within the NIA and other investigative agencies?
11:50Is, you know, with the bust of the terror module yesterday and the orchestration of the suicide attack yesterday evening at Red Fort, is it over or is there a sense that there could be a larger network at play, mostly per cells that have been activated, the possibility of a larger cache of arms or explosives still out there?
12:15Video said to NIA Internationalúsica
12:24Number one is this network was active in multiple places, not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in Haryana's Faridabad and in the national capital.
12:37That is why this case has been now handed over to the national investigative agencies, which specializes in counterterrorism activities.
12:46Now, as far as the investigations are concerned, in the last two weeks, several new things have unraveled as far as Jammu and Kashmir police's investigation is concerned.
12:56Several key individuals were detained, arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police, which led the police to conduct searches and operation in Faridabad, where huge amount of, you know, explosives were discovered by the police.
13:11And that is when the police got the tip off that there is one person, Dr. Umar Muhammad. He is absconding in the case.
13:19And at that point of time, Preeti, this is yesterday morning. That was a crucial piece of information, which was shared to the intelligence agencies as well as the Delhi police.
13:30But anyhow, Dr. Umar Muhammad, you know, he left Faridabad in the morning. He was at Lalkia, where I'm standing in the evening, where he carried out the blast in this area, killing nine innocent people.
13:46So, as of now, the police at this point of time, especially the NIA, which is carrying on the investigation, they believe that it is a larger network.
13:55Only some of the individuals have been so far arrested or identified.
13:59Today, we saw that there were at least half a dozen people, not only in Jammu and Kashmir, but also in Faridabad.
14:06They were questioned by the state police, you know, to find out the network of Dr. Umar Muhammad.
14:12So, it is something which will unravel in coming days. It is a larger network.
14:18It is yet to be clear that which terror group was behind this particular terror attack.
14:23But it is believed that Jash might be, Jashya Muhammad might be behind this terror attack.
14:28But once the NIA starts their investigation, which they have begun today, they will be able to not only detain and arrest and identify the main conspirator of this network, of this module,
14:43but they will also be able to unravel who were the conspirators, if at all they are sitting across the border, who were those individuals.
14:52So, it is going to unravel in coming days, Priti.
14:54I just want to break in, Shreya, very quickly.
14:58You know, Shreya, if you can quickly encapsulate from where Manish, you know, left this.
15:02So, what seemingly is a larger shadow of terror that persists?
15:07Is there now a clear and present danger, a security threat?
15:12Delhi is under high alert.
15:14Cities like Bombay are still under high alert.
15:16What are you picking up?
15:17Well, that's exactly how our agencies will actually be treating the current situation.
15:26The fact that Dr. Omar Muhammad was absconding while the raids happened and he carried out that attack allegedly in a panic-stricken condition.
15:34Right now, none of our agencies or police will leave any stone unturned to ensure that security becomes a top priority and they need to nab those individuals.
15:43Remember, Parvez, one of the doctors who is still absconding from the module, is to be traced down.
15:49What we are also being told by our agencies, there are multiple handlers in between,
15:52through whom the ammunition exchanged hands and reached the border of the national capital.
15:57All those things need to be traced down and that's exactly what the focus is right now.
16:02We are also being confirmed by our sources that even the Home Minister told the same thing to the NIA,
16:07that ensure every member of the module is traced and taken to task.
16:15All right, I appreciate both of you for joining us.
16:18There's Munish Pandey, our Delhi Bureau Chief, and Shreya Chatterjee,
16:21who's been tracking the agencies and getting us the first most authentic verified report coming in.
16:27These are sensitive times, viewers, and that much care needs to be given to authenticate as the information filters in.
16:35Thank you, both of you.
16:37I want to quickly cut across to our guests this evening.
16:39Joining me is Dr. Brahma Chalani, strategic affairs expert, Dr. Kiran Bedi, former IPS officer and former LG.
16:47I also have Ellen Rao, who's the former DCP Delhi.
16:50I want to begin with Mr. Ellen Rao.
16:52Mr. Ellen Rao, you know, there is one side of the story which seems to suggest that we need to be a little thankful
16:57because this massive terror module was busted that could have led to multiple series of blasts,
17:03plus a cache of arms, maybe, you know, those guns, which is an AK-47, AK-57 being used.
17:09And we need to be thankful that this was a big, you know, security win for our agencies.
17:17On the other hand, Mr. Rao, the fact is, one terror attack is one too many.
17:22Nine innocent lives are lost.
17:23How do you read it?
17:24Many would suggest that this is a huge security and an intelligence failure.
17:29Good evening, ma'am, and good evening to the co-punists and all your viewers.
17:33Definitely, it's a very, very serious incident.
17:36It was yesterday witnessed by the Allies.
17:39And thanks to the Jammu Kashmir police, on the basis of their intelligence, Faridabad police could recover so much of this huge quantity of explosive in Faridabad area.
17:51And I think this case is linked with that, because the composition of the chemical seems to be like that only.
18:01And the car, which was used in that Haryana number car, which was used in this blast,
18:07and it was driven by that person who was seen in that parking area also waiting for so many hours.
18:14And then he was seen driving this car.
18:16But he was also responsible for this, and it is stated by the police investigations that he has been also killed in this case.
18:24So, now, this most important question is that, why and how this case was selected?
18:31I think, after this simple operation, that retaliation of Pakistan seems to be the result of this case.
18:41And they may be planning, their bosses who are controlling these upper ground workers, UGWs in India,
18:52they definitely, they are planning to blast at a very important place, that is Red Road, to be the historical, iconic place,
19:03where every year our Prime Minister, and first thing about Tri-Club, and he is a very, we celebrate Independence Day from this place.
19:12So, it was, maybe, it may be the target of this place, that they should cause such a huge blast at this location.
19:20Now, the investigation is handed over by the, to the NIA, and definitely it should be, because it has many,
19:28I think this place may be having links with many other states also, in addition to Haredabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi.
19:37So, this is very right, step by step by the government.
19:40Alright, what is also being noted here is that, it's yet to be established whether or not Red Fort was the main target,
19:47or was it an act which was orchestrated in a sense of panic, after the, after the terror module was busted earlier.
19:54You know, that remains to be investigated, and that information needs to filter in.
19:58Dr. Kiran Bedi, I want to bring you in, and Dr. Brahma Chalani as well.
20:02But, Dr. Bedi, for somebody, you know, who knows Delhi, policing at the back of its hand,
20:07many would suggest it's impossible to actually comb through vehicles as they are coming in.
20:13How do you read this? Do you read this as a big intelligence failure?
20:16It's after a very long time, we've seen the heart of the national capital being attacked,
20:21where a terror strike and a suicide bomb is concerned.
20:24Or do you see that, yes, you know, we've been able to bust a larger terror module,
20:29and, yes, one did get away, but one needs to count their blessings.
20:32But nine lives have been lost, Dr. Bedi.
20:35I think we've been able to bust a very large disaster.
20:40And that disaster, I think, was to be spread all over the country.
20:46I think this is the beginning.
20:48And I think we have trapped, we have caught them by destiny, by design,
20:52by Haryana detection, by JNK police.
20:55I think we have avoided a disaster.
20:59The point is, I think, I think, I may be wrong.
21:02This man was transporting this ammunition on his way.
21:06It was not for a Red Fort traffic signal.
21:09He has waited at the Red Fort port.
21:11He has waited.
21:12What is, why has he waited?
21:14Why?
21:14What is he waiting for?
21:16Was he waiting for a signal to reach somewhere?
21:18So I think he is on, was on his way.
21:21Now, what triggered the suicide thing, if it is suicide?
21:26Or was it a mistake?
21:27I do not know.
21:28But he was on his way.
21:31And with over, with so much of ammunition back home in his, in his place,
21:35it was meant for sleeper cells around the country.
21:39I think we have nipped it just perfectly in time.
21:44And answers, different answers, different questions are different.
21:47But I think this man was not a suicide.
21:51He has, he's got trapped.
21:54I think he's pressed it.
21:56He was transporting, to my mind, I may be totally wrong,
22:00but he was on his way towards North Delhi and West Delhi.
22:03Towards sight.
22:03For whom?
22:04But maybe for a sleeper cell.
22:06So I think all the, all the thousands of kilograms they've got
22:10was meant for awakening sleeper cells around, across the country.
22:15So I think my good thing, it's, it's a very good, great detection by JNK police,
22:21Haryana police, and of course, subsequently, all have played a role in them subsequently.
22:26And I'm glad all agencies are now coming together.
22:29Because signs of what is happening, what signs of what this is happening,
22:33were indicative of little, little things around the country from October, post, post-Pahelgaan.
22:39It was, all the little, little signals were always that they were awakening up
22:44because they could not take that, that.
22:46And even after Afghanistan improvements of the country, what we, the ROD, I think it's hurt them.
22:53So this, this was activated.
22:55And this is a white collar crime because these doctors are not supposed to be committing
23:00the suicide bombers themselves, but others are.
23:03But I think it's the, I would think this is a white collar crime,
23:08but happened to be masterminded by these doctors.
23:11And these doctors were, were awakening sleeper cells to huge amount of money,
23:16which they were probably getting.
23:18The real challenge now before this is to check the ecosystem,
23:22because they could not have done it because, and I'm, I'm glad the Honorable Home Minister
23:27has directed them to demolish, find out who's the ecosystem,
23:31because the ecosystem is countrywide, countrywide.
23:35Those sleeper cells are countrywide.
23:36Therefore, this investigation will lead one to the other.
23:41An ecosystem includes, includes local police, because now one hand, the local police is detected.
23:48On the other hand, who overlooked this ecosystem includes the sellers of this, all this ammunition.
23:55Ecosystem also includes all the accumulation.
23:58So I think it's an amazing detector.
24:01We have saved this country narrowly by great, by great detection.
24:05Again, the credit goes to JNK and Haryana police.
24:08But Haryana police should also now clarify what allowed it to be accumulated.
24:18Right.
24:19You know, I'm going to come right back.
24:20I also want to bring in Dr. Brahma Chalani, whether he concurs with your theory or not, Dr. Bedi.
24:25But right before that, you know, I want to just cut across to what the Prime Minister said.
24:30The Prime Minister has been in Bhutan.
24:32He spoke from Thimpu, where he is in official capacity, attending the birthday celebrations of the fourth king of Bhutan.
24:39And he made it clear that any act of terror, or those, the perpetrators behind this,
24:45of course, he didn't use the word terror, but the perpetrators of what has happened will be brought to justice.
24:50Listen in to what the Prime Minister said.
24:52Look, I have come to see the situation.
24:56I have visited the world.
24:58Today, I have come to see the world.
25:01I have come to see the world.
25:04I have left my heart.
25:05My heart and experience has created everything.
25:11I keep holding my heart.
25:12My heart and taste is my heart.
25:16I have learned that the people of the earth are feeling.
25:19Today, I am to see the wind and fear.
25:21पूरा देश उनके साथ खड़ा है
25:26मैं कल रात भर
25:30इस गटना की जाँच में जुटी सभी एजन्सियों के साथ
25:36सभी महत्पपुन लोगों के साथ
25:40संपर्ग में था
25:43विचार में मर्ष चलता था
25:46जानकारियों के तार जोड़े जा रहे थे
25:52हमारी एजन्सियां
25:56इस सडियंत्र की
26:00तह तक जाएगी
26:03इसके पीछे के सडियंत्रकारियों को
26:08बक्सा नहीं जाएगा
26:12ALL THOSE RESPONSIBLE
26:17WILL BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE
26:22not
26:30especially the usage of English for all those responsible for you bought will be
26:34brought to justice for
26:36the international community that has been fairly involved Parte 4
26:40Sindhu. I want to cut across to Dr. Brahma Chalani. Dr. Brahma Chalani, if you tie in all the loose
26:45ends, if you connect all the dots, it's rather clear that the footprint of Jaish-e-Mohammed
26:50is evident. The sheer fact that the Prime Minister last time when he said that Operation Sindhu was
26:56an ongoing operation, not just proverbially, but drew that line in the sand saying that any act
27:03of terror is an act of war and from here on terrorists will not be differentiated from state
27:08actors, does put India now in a spot on how India will react and respond.
27:15Let's look at the larger implications of this car explosion. And I think the Prime Minister's
27:23words clearly allude to the larger implications of this blast in Delhi. As you know that India
27:34is located in a very troubled neighborhood. But India remains a beacon of stability, of
27:40democratic vitality, and economic dynamism. It's the only country in South Asia that is stable
27:48and economically booming. This is a testament to its strong institutions. So when there's
27:55a car explosion in Delhi, it attracts wide international media coverage. I got calls from Australia and
28:03from Europe this morning as to what's happening in India, because it makes some people wonder
28:08whether India is really that stable. That is why Pakistan's ISI staged the horrific Mumbai
28:16attacks in 2008, because Mumbai is the economic capital of India. And that is also the reason
28:23why terrorists carry out this car explosion, right, you know, targeting the national capital region
28:33of India. Clearly, the busting of this terror module and then the car explosion clearly suggest
28:43that the aim was to target the national capital region of India. Because when you have an explosion,
28:51a terror attack in Delhi, it attracts wide international attention. And the latest terror attack is a sobering
29:01reminder that the front lines of national security lie not just along India's borders with Pakistan,
29:07but also within India's cities. So the security agencies need to proactively safeguard major cities.
29:15And I think the larger message is that this car explosion is a grim reminder, first, that terrorism remains a life-threat
29:27to India's internal security. And two, that despite Operation Sindhu, the infrastructure of cross-border terrorism remains intact.
29:39In fact, it reopens the question as to why we seized Operation Sindhu after just three days of operation,
29:51just when the Indian military had gained the upper hand on the battlefield. The fact is that unless you do not go after the sponsors of terrorism
30:01on a continuing basis, they will always look for an opening. And I think even though a bigger terrorist attack has been averted,
30:11still, still the implications of this car explosion are quite adverse to India's image, to India's security,
30:21and to India's need to present itself as a stable, economically booming country.
30:33Right. Dr. Bedi, I want to bring you in on the point that Dr. Brahmachalani made. And this is a point that is echoed by many.
30:43Because what this blast, or this suicide mission yesterday, which was carried out, has brought in is reminiscent of what was witnessed very often during the UPA years.
30:54One thing that this government could pat its back on repeatedly, and something that the people always supported the government,
31:01was on the stability that Dr. Brahmachalani was talking about. A sense of security that this government provided.
31:07It's been, you know, I don't remember when a blast like that has shook the heart of our country, which is the national capital.
31:14The implication, though, will be that much more grave.
31:18Look, I see a shift in this crime pattern. It's from borders now to inside the country. Because border issues has got contained.
31:30Defence issues, defence, I think there's a total blockade there. This is an awakening of sleeper cells now within the country.
31:41Financing them, arming them, ammunitioning them. And these were the masterminds we caught.
31:48You see, nobody from outside has claimed responsibility so far. It's very unusual.
31:53I think earlier, immediately, there is to claim responsibility. Jaish-e-Mohamad has not claimed any responsibility. We are assuming it.
32:01But I think this is clearly a shift from borders to covert cells, which are hiding somewhere.
32:10And also now it's not the chappalwala and padhamaywala. No. Now it is educated, radicalized.
32:17So this is a community which I think is now being radicalized.
32:22Exactly. You know, I want to pick that point that you made.
32:26You know, Dr. Bedi, I want to just, you know, for a moment, stress and reflect and bring, you know, our panel in on the point that you just made.
32:33Because, you know, we might give it a glib word and call it white collar terror module, but there is a larger implication and connotation to it.
32:41No longer are we looking at a set which is, you know, steeped in poverty, uneducated, exploited by the hubbingers of terror.
32:50You know, this has a huge connotation. Look at it. You know, these are men who've come from fairly affluent families whose families have worked very hard to put them through MBBS colleges to attain, you know, the kind of academic excellence that they have actually become doctors.
33:07You know, these were men and women who could have chosen better than to tread the path of sinister terrorism that they have chosen.
33:17And I just want to give the list out, Muhammad Omar, you know, Dr. Muhammad Omar, who was the suicide bomber in this particular case.
33:28Young man, 1989, doctor at Alfala Medical College, MBBS from GMC Srinagar.
33:34He was behind the wheel of the I-20 that was laden with explosives detonated right outside the Red Fort metro station behind me.
33:44Adil Ahmed, then age 27, from Kazigun, senior resident doctor, GMC Anant Nag.
33:52AK-47 has been found in his locker, arrested in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, arrested from Anant Nag.
34:00Muzammil Shaqeel, doctor at Alfala University, arrested in Faridabad, Haryana, 2900 kgs of explosives seized, linked with Adil Rathar, arrested from Pulwama.
34:15Shaheen Shahid, a woman doctor from Lalban, worked with Alfala Group, rifle found in her car.
34:24Allegedly, now she is, she's a doctor.
34:26And allegedly, now she is heading the women wing in India of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, arrested from Lucknow.
34:34Ahmed Mohammed Deen Syed, MBBS from China, arrested by Gujarat ATS.
34:41You know, the list will go on.
34:43One of the doctors, the brother of Shaheen Shahid, Salman Parvez, Dr. Salman Parvez,
34:49who practices in Lucknow at the Integrated University, is now absconding.
34:55You put this all together, Dr. Brahma Chalani, even just for a moment and reflect on it.
35:00You know, no longer are you looking at maybe like a Kassab who was completely illiterate, came in from acute poverty and was used as a tool by the perpetrators of terror.
35:11You're looking at well-educated, you know, men and women coming in from affluent families who would, one would think, pick a better, you know, way of being.
35:21And also highlighting the fact, Dr. Brahma Chalani, that these sleeper cells now have people like these making decisions,
35:31you know, with what we've seen yesterday.
35:34You raise a very good point, Preeti.
35:37In fact, if you look at the larger international context and look at the major terror attacks,
35:44right in India's own neighborhood, they are a reminder that terrorism is not driven either by deprivation or by ignorance.
35:56Take the CAFE attack on foreigners in Dhaka in 2016 or the subsequent jihadi bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
36:09The bombings in Sri Lanka on churchgoers and hotel guests were carried out by men from wealthy families.
36:20Two of the eight Sri Lankan suicide bombers were sons of one of the country's wealthiest businessmen.
36:27Several of the attackers in Sri Lanka had the means to study abroad.
36:31In fact, some of them had actually gone abroad and studied abroad.
36:36But I think what's very troubling about the latest car bombing are two things.
36:42First, the involvement of medical doctors.
36:46The alleged suicide bomber in the car, the car that exploded, was a medical doctor.
36:56The terror module that was busted earlier involved some medical doctors.
37:01Medical doctors are supposed to be saviors of lives.
37:05Here they're turning out to be predators.
37:09That is very troubling.
37:11The second is the scale, the scale of the car explosion.
37:15It was so powerful that a number of other vehicles caught fire.
37:20Look at the number of people who died, the number of people who are battling for life in hospital.
37:24And the cache of explosives that was recovered by police.
37:29Nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosives.
37:33That's a military-level stockpile.
37:36It points to a coordinated plot targeting the national capital region and possibly even beyond.
37:46So I think even though we may take comfort in the fact that there was this—that the police managed to bust this terror module, that this suicide bomber, for whatever reason, struck at a red
38:06red light near the red light near the red fort, and not at a more strategic target.
38:11Yet the implications of what these people were up to, that cannot be lost.
38:19It might suggest that there are other terror modules that are still potentially ready to target other areas of India, maybe even areas within the national capital region.
38:37Right.
38:38Right.
38:39Right.
38:40You know, I'm going to just—you know, I'm going to come to you, Dr. Bedi, on this, but I want to just dip into the latest news break that we are getting in.
38:46The Delhi Chief Minister has announced an ex-gratia grant for victims of the kin who have been killed in this act of terror yesterday of a suicide bomber.
38:57The latest that we are getting in is that the Delhi Chief Minister, who has, of course, deemed the incident unfortunate,
39:0310 lakh for families of deceased and 5 lakh for permanently disabled, 2 lakh for seriously injured victims.
39:12My colleague who covers the Delhi government is joining us, Sushant Overtree, what more can you add to this?
39:21Go back.
39:22Bye.
39:23Those who have been forgiven them are speaking in the city of the country,
39:26but you see it will make them so that the dietaимся will make up to the local governments and places like it.
39:28They will make them so that the government will receive their benefits,
39:31which is the case of the government,
39:33who will be storing the hospital,
39:36who also告 the state to account of the Taliban,
39:40who have been pushing the information for this situation,
39:43and who have been delivering to these families from the government,
39:46they will enforce the benefit of the government.
39:48foreign
40:18with their families, so that the necessary things that they have to take care of,
40:23whether they have to take care of their health,
40:25they have to take care of the entire government.
40:31Okay. Sushant,
40:33thank you very much.
40:35Sushant, my colleague was the first reporter on ground yesterday
40:38when the terror attack actually took place.
40:41I want to quickly cut across yours because there was a sense of disbelief
40:44that we are all suffering.
40:46It shook the heart of the national capital.
40:48It shook most of us who live in the national capital.
40:50You know, to see visuals like that coming after years
40:53of what we thought or what now we feel was a sense of false comfort.
40:57These visuals were recorded right after the blast where this,
41:01now which has been established, an I-20 vehicle laden with explosives
41:05detonated by a doctor, Omar Mohamed, who was behind the wheel of the I-20.
41:11Right after that, about eight to ten cars surrounding the I-20
41:15were encuffed by the fire.
41:17The impact, the intensity of the blast was such that parts of vehicles
41:21were found strewn 200 meters away from the blast site.
41:25Munish Pandey, who's bringing in these visuals, joining us for more.
41:30Munish, what more can you add?
41:32Well, Preeti, the locals in this area where I'm standing, where the blast took place,
41:43the locals were the first responders during the incident and also there are only two constables
41:49who did some heroic job.
41:51In this visuals, it is very clear that the impact of the blast was such that the nearby vehicles also got affected
41:58and affected in a way that they're make and made where we can't identify from the visuals.
42:04What we can see is that there was a white color car which was impacted,
42:08but the person who was driving the car was still stuck.
42:11And there are locals who came to rescue at a time when Preeti, one can see that there was still fire around the area.
42:19But they came, they were trying to rescue this person.
42:23There are two constables also which we can see in the visuals that they were the one who were taking the locals to the hospital.
42:31So these, these visuals once again, you know, it confirms that the locals were not only the first responders,
42:39but they did some heroic job by saving lives of several individuals because it was their effort
42:46due to which those who were injured, they were taken to the hospital and due to which might be several lives were saved.
42:56Okay.
42:58All right, Manish, you know, thank you for bringing up these visuals because it is important somewhere
43:03to recognize the first responders, those who came in to help.
43:07And that's primarily the reason we are putting up this video.
43:10I want to quickly bring in for final comments, you know, very quickly, Dr. Kiran Bedi and Dr. Brahma Jalani.
43:15Dr. Bedi, you know, you did touch on the white collar nature of this crime.
43:19But also what has happened, Dr. Bedi, is now, you know, it shook most of us out of what we thought
43:25was, you know, a false sense of comfort that gone are the days of us witnessing attacks like this.
43:32It's very much there. It's present and now orchestrated by those who could possibly be living right besides us.
43:40Truly, we have to be prepared always, always to deal with it.
43:47The message is prevent as much as you can.
43:50This is where neighborhood watch groups, beach systems.
43:55You know what? I would probably think this will lead to cameras outside every ammunition of this kind of wholesaler,
44:03wholesaler or provider who is coming, who is buying, let's say, ammonia, ammonium, nitrate, etc.
44:10Who is buying the data of these buyers of these?
44:13I think we'll have to work on a whole prevention strategy using technology so that we can prevent as much and prepare our agencies
44:21because the neighborhood is not going to give up.
44:24The neighborhood is not going to reconcile to a defeat which they've had in the recent past.
44:29So we'll have to prevent, we'll have a strategy for regular, grassroot, ground policing prevention,
44:36putting the onus on the neighborhoods to report.
44:39Also, I think, control room to inform anonymously and also strengthen our investigating agencies.
44:47And I'm very happy to see all of them working together since yesterday.
44:52We will have a whole network, a national network exposed now through this because it's come through an ecosystem.
45:02Right. I want to bring in Dr. Brahmachalani.
45:05Dr. Brahmachalani, final comments. I don't really want to encapsulate it, but I would like to say it very gingerly at that.
45:11You know, there are always periods, you know, phases that a country goes through.
45:16We had gone through a huge phase which was, you know, stability, safety.
45:21And for that man out on the street, you know, who's taking that metro back home,
45:26that kind of safety, that feeling, you know, was omnipresent and it was so very important.
45:32Are we somewhere now entering a very new phase where our country is concerned,
45:37our, you know, the security apparatus or what we are now going to face?
45:43Over the years, India has experienced major terror attacks in its cities from Mumbai to Coambator
45:53to cities in eastern India, in Delhi in the past, for example, in Lajpan Nagar, several other places in Delhi.
46:01There have been major bombings in the past.
46:06So it's clear there is a pattern to it that periodically the sponsors of terror seek to puncture the perception that India is a safe, secure, prospering country.
46:22Pakistan may be.
46:23Pakistan may be a smaller, weaker country, but it's a quasi-failed rogue state that has a longstanding nexus with terror groups.
46:35And Pakistan will not change.
46:37In fact, after Operation Sindhu, in more recent weeks, China has felt emboldened to up the anti against India.
46:47For example, in the Sir Creek extuary, Pakistan has significantly built up its forces, forcing India to also build up its forces.
46:59And currently there's an ongoing Indian major military exercise, a tri-service exercise near the Sir Creek.
47:08So we have to take into account the fact that dealing with Pakistan has to be a sustained effort by all the different agencies.
47:22It has to be a response, a coordinated response.
47:28And unfortunately, we're seeing also a convergence today of Chinese and American interests.
47:35They're increasingly converging on Pakistan.
47:37Right.
47:38So for India, this car blast, you know, if you look at it in the larger context, it underscores the fact that India needs to deal with its challenges proactively.
47:51Correct.
47:52I appreciate both of you for joining us.
47:54Thank you for giving us your time.
47:55We're going to leave it at that, viewers.
47:56You know, there might be a theory which suggests we have averted a bigger crisis, a bigger terror strike, and this should be seen as a part win of our security agencies of busting a larger terror module.
48:13But have that conversation with the family member of one of those nine who is dead and killed in this terror strike.
48:20Because when it comes to terror, even one attack in one life is one to many.
48:24Many lives lost, families shattered.
48:37A day after the Red Fort blast, the grief is wrong, and the questions are many.
48:43Behind every headline, there is a face, a story, a home torn apart.
48:52In the corner of Delhi, Pankat's family spent hours dialing his number after the blast.
48:58The 22-year-old and Uber driver had gone to drop a relative at the railway station.
49:05The 22-year-old and Uber driver had gone to date.
49:06It was a very difficult time to get the news.
49:07The two days later, the police were getting the phone, and they were getting the switch off.
49:12Then, we went to the flood.
49:13We had gone to the flood.
49:15We had no words.
49:17We had the police in the flood.
49:19We had the number of people.
49:20This is the whole night during the day.
49:22We cannot recognize anyone at night.
49:24But in the media, this is the flash highway.
49:27We are confirmed.
49:28We are confirmed.
49:30At Shernavaspuri, the neighbors of Hamarkataria, an only son, remember a kind young man who
49:54lived with his parents.
50:15Noman Ansari had come to Delhi from Shamli with his friend Aman.
50:19While the blasts claim Ansari's life, Aman is battling for survival in the hospital.
50:24In Merat, grief spills his parents.
50:31In Merat, Grief spills out of a small one-room home where Mohsen's family gathers.
50:58He drove an e-riksha, the only source of income for his parents and two younger siblings.
51:28Subhash, another victim, used to work at a tollboot.
51:35Their pain doesn't end there.
51:49When Subhash's body reached the hospital, the family says even dignity was denied.
51:56We didn't give an ambulance to the hospital, but we called the 100 number.
52:06After that, there are so many deaths here, they are asking for Rs. 15,000 or Rs. 20,000.
52:12Each home tells the same story of lives lived on hope, of dreams crushed in a moment.
52:21With Milan Sharma, Bureau Report, India Today.
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