At least 11 persons were killed and 65 others sustained injuries when an high intensity bomb placed in a briefcase exploded near one of the gates of High Court Complex

At least 11 persons were killed and 65 others sustained injuries when an high intensity bomb placed in a briefcase exploded near one of the gates of  High Court Complex here on Wednesday morning.

Considered as the worst terrorist attack in the capital since the triple blasts in September 2008, a terrorist outfit Huji claimed responsibility for today’s blast and proclaimed that it was as part of a jihad.

The Union Home Secretary Mr. R. K. Singh confirmed that nine persons were killed in the blast which occurred around 10.17 am near a reception counter between Gate No. 4 and Gate No. 5 of the High Court Complex. The explosive device was placed in a briefcase and as per the preliminary investigations it was an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) with ammonium nitrate.

The terrorist attack seem to have been meticulously planned as Wednesday’s are usually known as Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Day when there would be more number of visitors. As a matter of fact there were large number of people queued up before the reception counter for securing passes when the high intensity bomb occurred. In fact the explosion of the blast was heard two kms away.

The blast has taken everyone by surprise and the people at the site including a large number of advocates after recovering from the initial shock began running helter skelter. The entire site presented a gory picture with blood spattered all over and parts of human bodies strewn all around.

The National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigation Agency teams rushed to the sport immediately and cordoned off the area. The fire tenders and forensic teams besides the bomb squads too reached the blast site began investigations.

The injured were rushed in ambulances to All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Narayan Hospital. Many of the injured persons are stated to be in very critical condition and the death toll going up is not ruled out.

It might be mentioned here that it is the second time a blast had occurred in four months near the Delhi High Court premises. The first blast took place on May 25 when an explosive device made of ammonium nitrate placed a polythene bag and placed in a car parked near Gate No.7 exploded around 1.30 p.m. Though no one was inured in the incident, it had triggered off panic among the advocates and the people visiting the court. The incident prompted the authorities to initiate tight security measures in the court complex.