The acrid smoke from Monday’s devastating car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station has cleared, but the pain of families searching for their last moments from the charred remains remains. The blast, which killed 13 people and injured more than 20, disfigured the victims beyond recognition, turning mortuaries into scenes of desperate hope. In this horrific scene, intimate markers such as tattoos and torn clothing emerged as poignant beacons, guiding relatives to affirm their irreparable loss.
The ammonium nitrate-laden Hyundai i20, which exploded amid busy traffic on Subhash Marg at 6:52 pm, released a fireball that shattered window panes far and wide and set fire to nearby vehicles. Eyewitnesses described a huge cloud of debris, but for bereaved relatives at LNJP Hospital and Maulana Azad Medical College, identification depended on delicate details amid the devastation.
Prominent among these stories is that of 34-year-old Amar Kataria, a vibrant drug dealer from Chandni Chowk whose love for adventure—cycle trips and family dinners—came to an abrupt end. Face scarred beyond recognition, his body was marked by soulful tattoos on his hands: “Mom my first love,” “Dad my strength,” and the name of his wife Kriti. Father Jagdish said with tears in his throat, “In the morning I got a call from the hospital and told about the ink. With tears in my throat I came to know that it was him.” Married for four years, Amar leaves behind Kriti and his three-year-old son, who innocently prays for “Papa to come back”. Friends remember him as the cheerful heart of the group, now silenced forever.
For Jumman Khan, a 38-year-old e-rickshaw driver and sole breadwinner of his disabled wife and three young children (aged 7, 8 and 11) from Shastri Park, the 20-hour strict vigil was equally shocking. His GPS tracker stopped near the blast site, but partial remains—severed legs, a mangled torso—did not reveal any faces. “We found him under a sheet, near the blue T-shirt he wore every day,” said uncle Mohammed Idris, tears streaming down his face when the body arrived home. Jumman’s daily hustle and bustle had given wings to his children’s dreams of schooling; Now, community support is struggling to make up the difference.
Other victims, such as bus conductor Ashok Kumar and taxi driver Pankaj Saini, were identified through jewelery or DNA, showing the indiscriminate havoc of the blast. As the investigation is gaining momentum, Delhi Police has invoked sections 16 and 18 of the Explosives Act as well as UAPA at the Kotwali police station. The NIA is leading the terrorism- investigation, and is looking at Jaish-e-Mohammed links to the Faridabad raids.
From Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed, “Criminals will be brought to justice—no mercy.” Home Minister Amit Shah, after visiting hospitals, directed for a massive search operation. The Delhi Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh per family, but amid national high alert at airports and temples, the human loss is resonating deepest: the eternal echoes of tattoos and threads, stolen lives.
