Echoes Of Past: Red Fort Blast Brings Back Memories Of Delhi's Dark Days
Delhi's historic markets, monuments and public spaces have, time and again, found themselves on the frontline of violence, each incident etching deep scars in its collective memory: Reports
NEW DELHI: The powerful explosion in a car near the Red Fort Metro shattered what was 14 years of calm. For a city that has often been at the heart of the country's most terrible terror strikes, the sound of another explosion felt like an unwelcome echo from the past.
Delhi's historic markets, monuments and public spaces have, time and again, found themselves on the frontline of violence, each incident etching deep scars in its collective memory.
The summer of 1996 was one of the darkest chapters, when a powerful bomb ripped through Lajpatnagar market, one of the capital's busiest shopping hubs, killing 13 people and injuring dozens.
Just a year later, a chain of explosions rocked multiple parts of the city from Sadar Bazaar and Karol Bagh to Rani Bagh, Chandni Chowk and even a running bus in Punjabi Bagh. The blasts struck at the city's heart — its markets and streets — where daily life carried on amid growing unease.
The Red Fort itself, now again in the news for tragic reasons, has long been a symbolic target.
In December 2000, a terror group opened fire inside the fort complex, killing two persons. Barely a year later, Parliament attack of December 2001 once again placed Delhi at the centre of terror, claiming the lives of nine security personnel and staff members.
The years that followed brought more pain. In 2005, a series of coordinated explosions just two days before Diwali tore through Paharganj, Sarojini Nagar and a DTC bus in Govindpuri, killing over 67 people and injuring more than 200, PTI reported.
The festive spirit was replaced by fear as the blasts struck the heart of the capital's markets.
Three years later, in 2008, five near-simultaneous explosions hit Connaught Place, Karol Bagh and Greater Kailash, killing over 20 people and injuring dozens.
The last major terror strike before Monday's incident was in 2011, when a briefcase bomb exploded outside the Delhi High Court, leaving 15 dead and 79 injured.
