A white Hyundai i20 — the center of focus in the Red Fort blast that shook Delhi on Monday evening. Though Delhi Police and central investigative agencies have not yet released an official statement, sources indicate that the vehicle was being used by 36-year-old Kashmiri doctor Umar Mohammad from Pulwama prior to the explosion. With his name emerging, the Red Fort blast investigation has entered a deeper and more complex phase.
According to multiple reports, Umar completed his MBBS degree from a medical college in Srinagar in 2017. There is, as of now, no confirmed direct link between the Faridabad blast case and the Red Fort blast, but investigators are not dismissing the possibility of a connection.
The vehicle involved in the blast was registered in Haryana under the name of a man named Salman. After questioning, Salman reportedly told the agencies that he no longer owned the car and had sold it to a Pulwama resident named Tareq. Further probe suggests that Tareq then handed the vehicle to Umar.
This vehicle trail is now a crucial thread.
CCTV footage has become central to the case. The footage shows the car entering a parking area near Sunehri Masjid at 3:19 PM on Monday. A man wearing a blue-black T-shirt is seen sitting inside. The vehicle remained parked there for almost three hours. At 6:48 PM, it exited the parking space — and just four minutes later, around 6:52 PM, the Red Fort blast occurred.
However, the investigation is yet to confirm whether Umar himself was in the vehicle at the time of the explosion, or if someone else was operating it in the final moments.
After Umar’s name surfaced, his family in Pulwama spoke out. A relative said, “We last spoke to Umar on Friday. He loved playing cricket with the kids whenever he visited home. He spent most of his time studying. We cannot believe these allegations.”
The family further stated that Umar had been in Delhi recently and had been preparing for medical examinations and career placements. He is engaged, but not yet married. They describe him as quiet, focused, and with few close friends.
Their version sharply contrasts with the line of inquiry pursued by investigators — making the Red Fort blast case more layered and sensitive.
The blast near one of India’s most high-security, symbolically critical national landmarks has already raised serious questions. Now, with the involvement of a young doctor from Kashmir, the case touches not just national security, but also social perception and regional tensions.
Whether Umar is a victim of circumstance, or a key player in a larger web — that answer depends on what the next phase of investigation uncovers.
For now, the Red Fort blast remains a developing and high-alert case.
