Red Fort blast: Maintain record of entities dealing in ammonium nitrate: L-G to top cop

In the aftermath of the recent blast near the Red Fort, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to maintain digital records of all entities selling and purchasing ammonium nitrate, a chemical suspected of being used to carry out the explosion.

In a separate communication, Saxena also directed the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT Delhi, to create a central data repository containing records of doctors and paramedical staff engaged by hospitals, especially private ones, along with details of their medical degrees.

Saxena asked the police to maintain a digital record of entities purchasing and selling ammonium nitrate beyond a certain threshold. The record should include photographs of buyers and sellers, apart from other relevant details. Moreover, he instructed the top cop to hold a consultation exercise with heads of social media platforms, including Meta and X, for a scientific tracking of radicalised content.

Additionally, Saxena directed the Commissioner of Police to focus on strengthening human and technical intelligence with a focus on vulnerable areas.

The administration has been asked to create a central data repository containing records of doctors and paramedical staff engaged by hospitals, especially private facilities, along with details of their degrees.

“In cases where medical professionals have secured degrees from foreign countries, information should also be shared with the police for background checks,” the official said.

They have also been asked to hold a consultation with all digital platforms and financiers engaged in sale and purchase of vehicles, especially second-hand vehicles. “Clear directions should be given that under no circumstance will vehicles be allowed to ply where actual owner is different from the registered owner. This problem is reportedly most acute in cases of auto-rickshaws,” the official said.

The November 10 blast, which was triggered by a “suicide bomber”, came shortly after an interstate “white-collar” terror module was uncovered with the recovery of a huge cache of explosives.