Red Fort Blast: Delhi LG Orders Major Security Overhaul; Chemical Purchases, Radical Posts To Face Tracking

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has ordered a fresh set of security and surveillance measures in the aftermath of the Red Fort terror blast that killed at least 15 people on November 10. The LG has directed the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Chief Secretary to significantly bolster intelligence-gathering systems, enhance digital monitoring, and improve coordination between agencies, according to communications issued from the LG Secretariat.

One of the major directives involves creating a digital database of all entities buying and selling ammonium nitrate beyond a set threshold. This database will include photographs of both buyers and sellers along with other necessary details. The goal is to close gaps in monitoring the purchase of materials commonly used in improvised explosive devices.

Saxena has also instructed the Police Commissioner to begin formal consultations with major social media companies such as Meta and X (formerly Twitter). These discussions aim to develop scientific tools for detecting radicalised content, online indoctrination attempts, and extremist messaging at an early stage. Authorities have also been asked to increase community outreach and citizen engagement to strengthen preventive policing.

In addition, the Delhi administration has been directed to create a centralised database of doctors and paramedical personnel working across hospitals-especially in the private sector. This repository will include details of medical degrees, and in cases involving foreign qualifications, the information will be shared with the police for verification and background checks.

Instructions have also been issued for structured discussions with vehicle platforms and financers involved in buying and selling vehicles, particularly in the second-hand market. The LG has stressed the need to streamline ownership norms so no vehicle operates when the registered owner is different from the actual user. Officials say such mismatches are common in the auto-rickshaw segment, where permit holders and operational owners are often not the same.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced on Thursday that it has arrested four additional key suspects linked to the Delhi blast, raising the total number of arrests to six. The four accused were taken into custody in Srinagar on production orders issued by the district sessions judge of Patiala House Court.

According to the NIA, the arrested individuals are Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian-each from Jammu and Kashmir-and Dr Shaheen Saeed from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The agency stated that all four played important roles in the terror attack that killed several innocent people and injured many others.

Earlier, these four were detained by Jammu & Kashmir Police and Haryana Police after the Faridabad module was busted on November 9. Investigators believe that another associate, Dr Umar un Nabi, later detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that killed 13 people-including Nabi-and injured 32.

The NIA had already arrested two others: Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the vehicle used in the blast was registered, and Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, who allegedly offered technical assistance for the operation.