Old Delhi went into shock on busy shopping evening

THE national capital's otherwise bustling heart Chandni Chowk was gripped with panic and disbelief on Monday evening after a blast ripped through the Red Fort area, leaving residents and shopkeepers stunned, even as the blast shock was felt till approximately three kilometres away.

- IFRAH MUFTI New Delhi

The explosion was so severe that it smashed the glass panels of Gate No 1 at the Red Fort Metro station.

Residents in nearby Jama Masjid, Daryaganj, and even ITO areas said that they felt tremors and heard a deafening roar that shook buildings and rattled windows. "It felt like a massive cracker going off. The sound was so strong that we felt as if something had fallen on our building," said a resident of Urdu Bazar near Jama Masjid.

Another resident Saeed described, "It felt like the earth caved in for two seconds. The noise was so sharp, it hurt our ears."