Minor explosion outside Delhi high court; no casualties

A low-intensity bomb exploded today outside the busy Delhi high court triggering panic but no one was injured.

The explosive, kept in a packet near a car belonging to a lawyer, went off at 1.15pm causing panic, police said.

The car caught fire after the explosion. Personnel of the Delhi police's special cell, anti-terror unit and bomb detection and disposal unit were immediately rushed to the site along with fire brigade.

Delhi police special commissioner (law and order) Dharmendra Kumar said the blast was caused by a low-intensity explosive in which no one was injured.

"It was not a life-threatening blast... It was a small blast... The explosion took place in a small plastic bag," he said.

"The bag was kept outside the car, just near the bonnet," Kumar said, adding even the car was not damaged by it.

He said the type of explosive is unknown and the samples have been sent for forensic examination.

"We are trying to ascertain whether it is an explosion. The residue found has been sent for forensic analysis to see whether there is any sign of explosive," said UK Bansal, secretary (internal security) in the Union home ministry.

He said the report was expected in a few hours.

Bansal said initially Explosive Vapour Device Detector was used to analyse the chemical composition of the explosive but it did not yield result.

That can now be determined as the forensic teams of Delhi and National Security Guard will be analysing the substance, he said.