New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) World Cup winner and head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team Gautam Gambhir and Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia have expressed their condolences to the innocent people who lost their lives in the blast near the Red Fort metro station on Monday.

A powerful explosion ripped through a car near Gate No. 1 of Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, killing 10 people and injuring many others. The blast, which occurred at a busy traffic signal, triggered panic across the Old Delhi area, igniting nearby vehicles and shattering windows.

Eyewitnesses described the explosion as a deafening roar, with thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage. The incident comes just hours after J&K Police busted a transnational terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind in Faridabad, recovering 2,900 kg of explosives and arms.

“Saddened by the loss of lives due to the blast in Delhi. Praying for strength to the families of the deceased and for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Gambhir said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia also mourned the deaths in the incident and condemned the blast.

“Saddened by the death of innocent people in the car blast near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi today. It is a very heart-wrenching and devastating incident. In this period of grief, I stand by the families of the victims of this incident and express my deep condolences. I pray for the early recovery of the injured. I also appeal to the government to ensure the conduct of an immediate, transparent, and impartial inquiry into the incident,” wrote Punia in his post on X.

Another former wrestler and Olympian Vinesh Phogat too mourned the death of innocent people in the blast at Red Fort. She also expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased in the incident.

The blast in the crowded area came on a day around 360 kilograms of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from a Kashmiri doctor’s rented accommodation in Haryana’s Faridabad.

–IANS

bsk/