Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired another round of high-level security review meeting on Tuesday to assess the situation following the deadly blast in Delhi that claimed eight lives and left several others injured a day ago.
The meeting started at 3 pm at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ office at Kartavya Bhawan.
The meeting was conducted after a break of over two hours. The first round of meetings took place at the Home Minister’s residence at 11 am. The meeting was then attended by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat also joined the meeting virtually.
The review comes amid heightened security concerns in the national capital as multiple agencies probe the explosion that occurred around 7 pm in a Hyundai i20 car near a traffic signal between Gates 1 and 4 of the Red Fort Metro Station.
Soon after the blast, Shah had spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Intelligence Bureau Director, directing a coordinated, multi-agency investigation involving the NIA, NSG, FSL, and Delhi Police.
All agencies have been instructed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the nature and cause of the explosion and submit a detailed report as soon as possible.
After the conclusion of the first round of meetings, the Ministry of Home Affairs handed over the investigation into the case to the NIA, considering it a possible act of terror.
The decision comes amid growing concerns over the nature and links of the explosion.
The NIA will take over the probe formally from the Delhi Police and examine all aspects of the case, including the materials used in the blast and possible terror links. Earlier, a post-blast investigation team of the National Security Guard (NSG) had collected forensic evidence from the site along with the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team.
The transfer of the case to the NIA indicates the Centre’s intent to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated investigation into the incident.
Sources said the security review also focused on the progress of the investigation into the explosion as well as on a possible link with the seizure of a huge cache of explosive materials from Faridabad on Monday.
A team from the FSL and the NIA revisited the blast site on Tuesday morning to collect additional forensic evidence.
The NIA will soon register a First Information Report in the case and take over all the evidence collected by the Delhi Police as per procedure. (ANI)
