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ISLAMABAD: Analysts and investigative observers say India&rsquo;s probe into the recent Delhi blast is increasingly mired in contradictions, shifting allegations and unverified media leaks, raising doubts about the credibility and direction of the investigation.&nbsp;According to Indian media reports, investigators have identified a woman named Shaheen, also referred to as &ldquo;Madam Surgeon,&rdquo; as the prime suspect. Outlets have claimed she possessed three different Indian passports issued under separate addresses in Kanpur, Lucknow and Faridabad.&nbsp;Analysts said these assertions &ldquo;defy basic passport regulations&rdquo; and expose &ldquo;deep inconsistencies within India&rsquo;s identity-verification system.&rdquo;&nbsp;Indian agencies have also acknowledged that Faridabad Police carried out passport verification just days before the blast, during which the suspect was reportedly present, photographed and officially cleared.&nbsp;Observers say this acknowledgement &ldquo;sits in direct conflict&rdquo; with India&rsquo;s later allegations that she had been running a sophisticated terror network undetected.&nbsp;Following the explosion, Indian media circulated a series of evolving accusations, including claims of &ldquo;multiple guardian identities,&rdquo; unproven visits to Pakistan, Hawala transactions and foreign travel patterns, without producing documentary evidence.&nbsp;Reports further speculated about weapons allegedly found in a vehicle, unexplained financial transfers and a purported &ldquo;Pakistani handler in Turkey,&rdquo; which some outlets described as part of a &ldquo;D-6 serial-blast plot.&rdquo; Independent analysts described these assertions as &ldquo;speculative, contradictory and lacking forensic grounding.&rdquo;&nbsp;Commentators note that investigators have not released immigration data, bank records, surveillance material or other technical evidence to support the allegations. They argue that the probe&rsquo;s oscillating narrative, combined with sensationalist reporting by outlets known for political alignment, reflects a recurring pattern in which media speculation precedes formal verification.&nbsp;Channels such as Republic TV, frequently criticized by analysts for promoting government-leaning conspiracy theories, have amplified the claims despite what observers describe as &ldquo;a lack of credible substantiation.&rdquo;&nbsp;Security specialists argue that the unresolved contradictions raise fundamental questions about the integrity of the investigation. They say that the case highlights potential failures within India&rsquo;s own security and verification architecture and caution that the ongoing media-driven narrative risks overshadowing the need for a transparent, evidence-based inquiry.&nbsp;Diplomatic observers add that the public framing of the case, marked by rapid speculation and unverified claims, &ldquo;undermines confidence in investigative professionalism&rdquo; and risks eroding trust in India&rsquo;s institutional processes.&nbsp;They stress that the unanswered questions surrounding the Delhi blast require clarity, consistency and verifiable evidence rather than shifting narratives and politically charged media commentary.

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Blast in Indian capital sparks scrutiny as analysts question contradictory claims, shifting narratives and unverified allegations in India’s investigation, raising concerns over credibility and investigative integrity.

Analysts flag contradictions undermining India’s Delhi blast investigation credibility

ISLAMABAD: An Indian news channel, News9 Live, has apologized for wrongfully releasing a Muslim Kerala doctor&rsquo;s picture as a suspect in the November 10 Delhi blast. Although several news outlets carried the picture, only one channel aired an apology. The blast in the Indian capital killed at least eight people, and 19 others were injured when flames ripped through several vehicles, according to AFP. An Indian fact-checking website, Alt News, reported that various Indian media outlets misidentified the accused, Dr Mohammad Arif, and shared the image of his namesake, who had no connection with the incident. Dr Arif Mohammed, whose photograph was used by news channels, is a resident of Kerala. Journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is co-founder of the fact-checking website, in a social media post, stated: &ldquo;Several channels including Aaj Tak, Times Now, ABP &amp; Republic shared a photo they claimed was of the arrested suspect in the Delhi blasts.&rdquo; &ldquo;The picture, however, was actually of Dr. Mohammed Arif from Kerala, who is completely unrelated to the incident,&rdquo; he added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 712px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1989762220847476914&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=241ff128e006ebdef2d0357f9be287583a102012&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1989762220847476914">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>News9 Live broadcast a &ldquo;corrigendum&rdquo;, a &ldquo;clarification on wrong image used for Dr Arif Mohammed&rdquo; on its YouTube channel. The statement published long with the YouTube video stated: &ldquo;We sincerely apologise for an inadvertent error in our earlier broadcast. The image used in connection with the terror-suspect Dr Arif Mohammed detained from Kanpur was incorrect.&rdquo; &ldquo;The photo shown was of Dr Arif Mohammed A &mdash; a respected cardiologist from Kerala &mdash; who has no connection whatsoever with the ongoing Delhi terror investigation. We regret the mistake and deeply apologise for any distress caused,&rdquo; it said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNcnUA6sRDo" title="CORRIGENDUM | Clarification on Wrong Image Used for Dr Arif Mohammed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>A November 14, 2023, Instagram post on KMCT Group of Institutions, Kerala, carries a profile of Dr Mohammed Arif.<div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czp78PhpaER/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2Fnew#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3281371.800000012%2C%22ls%22%3A5319.5%2C%22le%22%3A12647.100000023842%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="1179" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div>

Indian channel News9 Live apologized after wrongly showing a Kerala Muslim cardiologist’s photo as the Delhi blast suspect; multiple outlets misidentified him, corrected by fact-checkers, and News9 issued a public corrigendum acknowledging the error.

Indian media apologizes for portraying Muslim doctor as suspect in Delhi blast 

NEW DELHI: Indian police have carried out sweeping raids targeting a banned political party in disputed Kashmir, days after the deadliest blast in the Indian capital for more than a decade. There has been no confirmation that the searches this week are connected to Monday&#39;s explosion, which killed at least 12 people near the historic Red Fort in the capital&#39;s Old Delhi quarter. &lsquo;Anti-national forces&rsquo;The raids represent a renewed effort by police to tighten security after the explosion, which the government called &quot;a heinous terror incident&quot; and blamed on &quot;anti-national forces.&quot; Many of the raids have taken place since Wednesday, according to district police statements from across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Police in Awantipora, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Shopian, and Sopore districts issued statements about the raids, which they said targeted the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) party. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Hindu-nationalist government banned the Kashmir branch of Jamaat-e-Islami in 2019 as an &quot;unlawful association.&quot; &#39;Large-scale operations&#39;&nbsp;Officers carried out &quot;extensive raids at multiple locations&quot; to &quot;dismantle the terror ecosystem and its support structures&quot;, the police in Awantipora said in a statement. The department in Bandipora said they had seized &quot;incriminating material,&quot; while the Sopore police said it had carried out &quot;large-scale operations against JeI-linked networks&quot;, adding that more than 30 locations were searched. Officers also raided Al-Falah University in Faridabad, on the southern outskirts of the capital, while security forces on Friday demolished a house in Kashmir&#39;s Pulwama district. Police have not commented on the demolition, although law enforcement agencies have carried out such destruction against those accused of launching attacks in the past. India&#39;s anti-terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) is leading the probe into Monday&#39;s blast, and the government has vowed to bring the &quot;perpetrators, their collaborators, and their sponsors&quot; to justice. Little information&nbsp;But officials, so far, have given little further information on who that might be -- and whether it was a homegrown group or had links from abroad. Indian media have widely connected the Nov. 10 blast with a string of arrests just hours before, when they seized explosive materials and assault rifles. Police said those arrested were linked with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind groups. Concerning those arrests, police said on Monday, shortly before the explosion, that their investigations had &quot;revealed a white-collar terror ecosystem, involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers, operating from Pakistan and other countries.&quot; The blast in Delhi was the most significant security incident since April 22, when 26 people were killed at the tourist site of Pahalgam in IIOJK, triggering clashes with Pakistan.

There has been no confirmation that the searches this week are connected to Monday's explosion, which killed at least 12 people near the historic Red Fort in the capital's Old Delhi quarter.

Indian police carry out sweeping raids in Occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: After declaring in May that any future terror attack in India would be considered &ldquo;an act of war&rdquo;, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left India constrained in responding to the recent Delhi blast, facing domestic and diplomatic pressures that analysts say reflect a trap of its own making, according to a report published by Al Jazeera. On Nov. 10, a car blast in India&rsquo;s capital resulted in 13 deaths and several injuries. The Indian prime minister&rsquo;s rhetoric, the report says, &ldquo;limits how easily India can blame alleged perpetrators without raising expectations of a conflict with Pakistan.&rdquo; India was swift to blame Islamabad for the April&nbsp;Pahalgam incident, an attack on tourists which left 26 dead; Pakistan denied any involvement.&nbsp; In May, the two countries were involved in an armed conflict that lasted four days before a ceasefire was reached. &lsquo;Trap of one&rsquo;s own creation&rsquo;&nbsp;The report highlights that &ldquo;Modi&rsquo;s comments drew a new red line and a low threshold for future military action against Pakistan.&rdquo; While the Indian cabinet has termed the Delhi blast &quot;a terror incident,&quot; the government has so far avoided accusing any country of the incident. This is in contrast to the knee-jerk blame directed at Pakistan in the case of the Pahalgam incident in May. According to the Al Jazeera report, &ldquo;The low bar that Modi set for military action against Pakistan in the event of future attacks by armed groups means that naming Islamabad as responsible will automatically stir domestic expectations of an Indian military strike against its neighbor.&rdquo; On Modi&rsquo;s rhetoric about &ldquo;act of war,&rdquo; the article quotes Ajai Sahni, executive director of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, as saying, &ldquo;The Indian government painted itself into a corner &ndash; a trap of one&rsquo;s own creation.&rdquo; &lsquo;Foolish position&rsquo;&ldquo;With the declaration that an act of terror is an act of war and no elaboration on this doctrine, now they are confronting the consequences of what they say &ndash; a completely foolish position, not even a policy, that is short-sighted for political gains,&rdquo; Sahni is quoted as saying. Quoting analyst Michael Kugelman, the report says, &ldquo;If the government comes out and declares this to be a terrorist attack, there would be significant pressure, both strategic and political, for India to do something big, to do something kinetic.&rdquo; Speaking about the role of Indian agencies, Sheikh Showkat, a political analyst, is quoted as saying in the article, &ldquo;Blaming Pakistan has also been a way to shed one&rsquo;s own accountability.&rdquo; &ldquo;Whatever investigators find, India will be hampered in shaping its diplomatic and security response by its reaction&rdquo; to the incident in April, the report quotes analysts as saying.

The rhetoric limits responses to terror attacks, creating a self-imposed trap; analysts say it raises domestic pressure for retaliation, constrains diplomatic flexibility, and complicates India’s handling of incidents such as the Delhi blast.

'Act of war' rhetoric has put India’s Modi in a self-made trap: report 

ISLAMABAD: Conflicting accounts and rapid speculation by sections of the Indian media have followed an explosion in the heart of New Delhi, even as authorities stated that the cause remains under investigation.&nbsp;According to AFP, at least eight people were killed and 19 others injured when a vehicle exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station in the densely populated Old Delhi district on Tuesday. The blast occurred close to the historic 17th-century Mughal landmark, a major tourist attraction.&nbsp;Delhi Police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi confirmed that the explosion took place inside a vehicle, but said officials had not yet determined what triggered it.&nbsp;&ldquo;The exact cause is still under investigation,&rdquo; Tyagi said. &ldquo;We have teams on the ground gathering evidence.&rdquo;&nbsp;Local television networks reported footage showing multiple vehicles engulfed in flames and thick smoke rising in a crowded street near the metro station. According to the city&rsquo;s deputy fire chief, six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire before the blaze was brought under control. At dawn on Tuesday, AFP reporters at the site of the explosion said police white sheets had been erected around the charred remains of vehicles overnight. Both forensic and anti-terrorism agencies were searching for evidence, while security was increased across New Delhi.&nbsp;Statements from Indian leadershipPrime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sympathy in a message on X, saying he offered condolences to the families of those killed in the Delhi blast and wished a swift recovery for the injured. Home Minister Amit Shah told local media that the explosion involved a Hyundai i20 near a traffic signal close to the Red Fort. He said CCTV footage from the surrounding area will be reviewed as part of the inquiry.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account,&rdquo; Shah said. &ldquo;All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public.&rdquo;&nbsp;Following the explosion, New Delhi&rsquo;s international airport, metro stations and government buildings were placed on high security alert, according to official statements.&nbsp;The US and French embassies in Delhi also issued security advisories to their citizens, urging them to avoid crowds and the areas surrounding the Red Fort, and to remain alert in places frequented by tourists.&nbsp;Eyewitness accounts differ from early reportsSome eyewitnesses at the scene described the vehicle involved as a compact Suzuki Maruti, based on what they saw immediately after the explosion. However, officials have referred to the vehicle as a Hyundai i20, and forensic teams remain deployed.&nbsp;Authorities have not yet released CCTV footage to clarify the discrepancy.&nbsp;Speculation over identity raises concerns&nbsp;Some Indian media channels circulated unverified claims linking the vehicle to a man named &ldquo;Salman,&rdquo; despite the absence of police confirmation. Other reports suggested different prior owners from Faridabad and Pulwama, though authorities have not confirmed any ownership chain.&nbsp;No official statement has identified a suspect or motive.&nbsp;Media observers in India have pointed to a pattern of speculation outpacing verified detail during breaking news events.&nbsp;Security questions raisedThe blast occurred near a high-security zone that houses several central government buildings, prompting renewed scrutiny over security measures in the capital.&nbsp;Police said forensic and anti-terror teams continue to examine the site, and further details will be released once initial findings are complete.&nbsp;Authorities continue to disperse crowds at the scene and maintain a security perimeter. With additional inputs from AFP

 Indian media begins blame game after Red Fort blast, shifting narratives and naming suspects without confirmation as police say cause remains under investigation

Articles tagged with "Delhi Blast"

Analysts flag contradictions undermining India’s Delhi blast investigation credibility

Indian media apologizes for portraying Muslim doctor as suspect in Delhi blast

Indian police carry out sweeping raids in Occupied Kashmir

'Act of war' rhetoric has put India’s Modi in a self-made trap: report

Speculation follows deadly New Delhi blast as investigators probe cause