Two days after Red Fort blast, all that remains are remnants of a grave tragedy

New Delhi: A child-sized shoe, a shoulder bag, half-eaten food and torn fabrics still lie untouched around the blast area, a grim reminder of the tragedy that unfolded on Monday.

The area where the high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring about 27, has been sealed for investigation.

Inside the barricaded zone, each scattered object, tells a story of people who ran for their lives, leaving behind the traces of an ordinary day that turned into tragedy.

The spot, which usually attracts large crowds for shopping near the historic Red Fort, now stands silent behind police barricades.

Several people who came to visit the site said they were drawn by the shock of how a bustling marketplace turned into a scene of destruction.

A 50-year-old shopkeeper, whose garment shop is one of the closest to the site, told PTI on Wednesday morning that the blast was severe.

“At first, everyone thought it was a transformer or a CNG blast. Nobody knew what had actually happened. Within 10 minutes, we were asked to shut our shops. When people started running in panic, we quickly packed our things, closed the shop and rushed home,” he said.

While most of the shops reopened on Wednesday, barring a few that are in the vicinity of the blast site, traders said business remained dull.

“People are coming, but not like before. The wedding season has started -- this is usually our peak time -- but after the blast, sales are very low,” a shopkeeper said.

Another trader added, “On Tuesday, the market was almost empty and many shops were closed. We are still in fear, as the incident occurred on Monday evening, so our families were hesitant to let us come to work near the site. That’s why we kept our shops shut.”