Red Fort blast issue raised in Parliamentary panel, chairperson declines discussion: Source

The issue of the blast near Red Fort was raised in a meeting of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Wednesday, but the chairperson of the panel refused to discuss the matter, a source said.

According to a member who was present in the meeting, the issue of the blast near Red Fort, in which 12 persons were killed, was raised by an MP of the Trinamool Congress. The TMC MP also raised concerns over the alleged intelligence failure.

The source said the chairperson, Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, refused to take up the discussion, and also did not allow any suo motu statements on the issue.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is being held on Wednesday and has ‘Disaster Management’ on the agenda. The panel is scheduled to hear the views of the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Directorate General (Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards) on the subject.

A powerful explosion ripped through a slow-moving vehicle on Monday near the Red Fort traffic signal in the national capital, claiming the lives of 12 persons.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited LNJP Hospital on Wednesday and met the survivors.