At least eight people are dead and 24 others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a car near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, officials said. The blast occurred near Gate Number 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, triggering a massive fire that engulfed nearby vehicles and sent shockwaves across the area.

Multiple vehicles damaged in the explosion

According to police sources, three to four vehicles parked near the blast site caught fire and sustained extensive damage. The Delhi Fire Department said around 20 fire engines were dispatched to the scene. Authorities have cordoned off the entire area, restricting traffic movement around the Red Fort.

Eyewitness videos showed burning vehicles and a van with its doors blown off. One clip captured a mangled car and an injured man lying on the road as bystanders gathered around in panic. “It was a very powerful explosion,” said a Delhi Police official, adding that the injured were rushed to LNJP Hospital.

Panic and eyewitness accounts

Residents in the vicinity described hearing a loud blast followed by a huge fireball. “I saw a huge fireball from the terrace of my house. The sound shook the windows,” said one witness. Another resident, who was at a nearby gurdwara, recalled, “We heard a strong explosion but couldn’t figure out what it was at first.”

Forensic and technical teams have reached the site to determine the nature of the explosion. Authorities are yet to confirm whether it was accidental or deliberate.

Linked developments in Faridabad

The explosion in Delhi comes hours after a massive cache of suspected explosives was recovered from a rented accommodation in Haryana’s Faridabad. Police said the property was rented by Dr Mujammil Shakeel, a doctor from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, believed to be part of a “white-collar” terror network involving radicalised professionals. The joint operation by Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Police over the past 15 days led to the recovery of over 2,900 kg of bomb-making material.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Monday reaffirmed his strong allegiance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying he “loves PM Modi a bit too much” to ever consider leaving the alliance.

In an interaction with media, Paswan dismissed speculation about any post-poll alliance after the Bihar assembly elections, asserting that his commitment to the NDA remains absolute. “As long as my Prime Minister is there, I am absolutely not going anywhere. My dedication and my love remain,” he said.

He added that although he maintains cordial communication with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, political realignment is “out of question.”

Reminiscing Ram Vilas Paswan’s political legacy

Reflecting on his father Ram Vilas Paswan’s political journey, Chirag said the former Union Minister’s decisions often proved decisive for whichever alliance he joined. “My father was called a ‘mausam vaigyanik’ because whichever side he chose came to power,” he said, recalling how the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) joined the UPA in 2004 after parting ways with the NDA in 2002.

Describing that move as a “good omen,” Chirag noted that even when most people believed in the BJP’s “India Shining” campaign, it was Ram Vilas Paswan’s alignment with the UPA that coincided with its surprise victory.

“I am not going anywhere”: Chirag on NDA ties

The LJP (RV) leader emphasised that his party has never entered into a post-poll alliance and always stood by its chosen coalition before elections. “No matter how many MLAs we have, whether the government is formed or not, I am right here,” he asserted.

Chirag also backed Nitish Kumar as the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate and reiterated his party’s focus on its “Bihar First, Bihari First” agenda.

Following the 2020 split in the original Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag now leads the LJP (Ram Vilas) faction, which rejoined the NDA before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and won all five seats it contested in Bihar.

As the second phase of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections approaches, the NDA faces a key test in northern Bihar, where several of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ministers are contesting crucial constituencies.

A Rs 50 lakh cash trail has emerged in the probe into the supply of adulterated ghee used to prepare the world-famous Tirupati laddus, the sacred offering distributed to lakhs of devotees at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

Alleged hawala payments traced to political aide

According to sources, K Chinnappanna, personal assistant to Lok Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy of the ruling YSR Congress Party and former TTD chairman, allegedly received the money from hawala agents linked to Uttar Pradesh-based Premier Agri Foods Pvt Ltd. The transactions reportedly took place near Delhi’s Patel Nagar Metro Station, with Rs 20 lakh allegedly given by Delhi-based agent Aman Gupta and the remainder by company executive Vijay Gupta.

Massive ghee adulteration uncovered

Investigations revealed that 60.37 lakh kg of adulterated ghee, valued at over Rs 240 crore, was supplied to the temple. The ghee, mixed with palm oils, chemicals, and other foreign particles, was sourced from four dairies—Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities, Malganga Milk & Agro Products, and AR Dairy Foods.

Despite a 2022 report by the Central Food Technological Research Institute confirming adulteration, supplies continued until 2024, raising concerns over official negligence and possible collusion.

Court and political controversy

The issue triggered a major political and social storm after reports claimed that animal fats, including fish oil and lard, were found in ghee samples used for the laddus. Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YSRCP government of allowing impure ghee during its tenure.

The Supreme Court, while urging restraint on politicizing the matter, ordered a joint probe involving the CBI, Andhra Pradesh Police, and food safety officials. Their report exposed widespread manipulation of documents and pricing to secure tenders for ghee supply.

The Tirupati temple’s kitchen prepares around three lakh laddus daily, using nearly 1,500 kg of ghee along with large quantities of sugar, gram flour, cashew nuts, raisins, and cardamoms.