NIA files 7,500-page chargesheet in Red Fort car bomb blast case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a massive 7,500-page chargesheet against 10 accused in connection with the November 2025 car bomb explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 11 people and injured several others. The high-intensity Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) blast, which occurred on November 10 last year, sent shockwaves across the national capital and caused extensive damage to surrounding property.

According to the chargesheet filed before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House Courts, all 10 accused, including the alleged mastermind Dr. Umer Un Nabi, who died in the explosion, were linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an offshoot of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). AQIS was designated a terrorist organisation by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2018.

The accused have been charged under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act, and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Besides Dr Umer Un Nabi, a former Assistant Professor of Medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, the chargesheet names Aamir Rashid Mir, Jasir Bilal Wani, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay, Soyab, Dr Bilal Naseer Malla and Yasir Ahmad Dar.

The NIA said the investigation spanned Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Delhi-NCR region. Investigators compiled 588 witness testimonies, over 395 documentary exhibits, and more than 200 seized material exhibits as part of the case.

According to the agency, the accused were radicalised and inspired by AQIS and AGuH ideology to wage violent jihad. Investigators alleged that during a clandestine meeting in Srinagar in 2022, the group reorganised itself as “AGuH Interim” after a failed attempt to travel to Afghanistan through Turkey.

The chargesheet states that the group launched a campaign codenamed “Operation Heavenly Hind,” allegedly aimed at overthrowing the Indian government and imposing Sharia rule.

The NIA further alleged that the accused recruited new members, spread extremist propaganda, stockpiled weapons and manufactured explosives using commercially available chemicals. Investigators said the explosive used in the Red Fort blast was Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), prepared through clandestine procurement and repeated experimentation.

The probe also revealed that the accused allegedly fabricated and tested various improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including drone-mounted and rocket-based explosive systems intended for attacks on security establishments in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in the country.

The agency said forensic analysis, including DNA fingerprinting, helped establish the identity of Dr Umer Un Nabi. Investigators also carried out forensic examinations, voice analysis and evidence recovery from locations linked to the accused in Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA alleged that the group had illegally procured prohibited weapons, including AK-47 rifles, a Krinkov rifle and country-made pistols along with live ammunition. Laboratory equipment and specialised electronic components used in bomb-making were allegedly sourced through online and offline channels.

Officials said the module had plans to expand its operations across India, but the conspiracy was disrupted following the arrests and raids carried out by the agency. So far, 11 people have been arrested in the case. The NIA said efforts are continuing to trace absconders and identify others linked to the alleged terror network.