On Saturday afternoon, people slowly began returning to Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort as Delhi Police cleared the blast site and reopened the streets to traffic. Curious onlookers stood in the middle of the road, phones out, taking pictures of a place they had seen only in news reports for nearly a week.
Five days after a car exploded outside the Lal Qila Metro station, leaving 10 dead and several injured, it seemed like business as usual in the market — except, a faint sense of unease still lingered.
Across from the blast site, near the entrances to the Chandni Chowk market, three police personnel sat with stacks of paperwork. One by one, people approached them, hoping to retrieve vehicles they had abandoned amid the chaos after the explosion.
Among them was Ramkar Yadav, who pleaded with a constable to return his scooter. “I parked my bike here for two minutes while I went inside to shop… I’ve come all the way from Faridabad, I don’t know how I’ll go back,” he said.
For a weekend during wedding season, the market felt unusually empty. Those who had returned couldn’t help but revisit the events of Monday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
On November 10, Yadav had unknowingly left his vehicle behind police tape and barriers, assuming it would be safer there.
“Now that you’ve told me you’re from Faridabad, I’m not giving your vehicle back,” the constable told him sharply. As Yadav pleaded further, the officer snapped, “Are you mad? Haven’t you seen the news? You know what happened in Faridabad, right? Do you want me to get into trouble?”
Yadav, fortunately, was carrying his registration certificate and Aadhaar card. After examining the copies, the constable relented. “Fine, take your vehicle and leave. I shouldn’t see you here again,” he said, waving him off.
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The policemen stationed in the area, much like the shopkeepers, remained visibly tense.
Civic body workers clean out a portion of the stretch that was kept shut after the fatal explosion, in New Delhi, on Saturday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
The police chowki outside the Red Fort sat misshapen, its structure warped by the force of the blast. “The entire roof has collapsed,” a constable whispered.
Nearby, charred display boards hung precariously over moving traffic. At the Lal Qila Metro station, workers dismantled what was left of the shattered window panes, while armed personnel inside scrutinised every passerby. Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in a post in the afternoon on X, also said gates 2 and 3 are now open for commuters.
The policemen stationed in the area, much like the shopkeepers, remained visibly tense. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
Just outside, a black trash bag lay abandoned on the street. Rickshaw drivers and shoppers circled it warily, exchanging uneasy glances, until one man finally kicked it open, sending garbage flying. People scattered instinctively, pushing one another in the brief panic that followed.
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For a weekend during wedding season, the market felt unusually empty. Those who had returned couldn’t help but revisit the events of Monday.
Ajay Kumar, an electronics shop owner inside Chandni Chowk, was the 14th person to reclaim his vehicle. “I’m coming back to my shop after almost a week… my shop boy had left the scooter here because of the heavy traffic that day,” he said.
Minutes after leaving it behind, he and his employee heard the explosion and saw a fireball rise into the sky. “It’s just kismat (fate) that saved us. A minute here or there and we would have died,” he said.
His scooter, meanwhile, saw no damage. “There was an SUV parked in front of it. That took most of the heat,” he added with a sheepish grin.
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For a weekend during wedding season, the market felt unusually empty. Those who had returned couldn’t help but revisit the events of Monday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
Soon after, another shopkeeper, Shingu, arrived to recover his scooter. “I never thought I’d see something like this in my life,” he said.
Together, he and Kumar recalled the familiar faces missing from the market. “There was a chaiwala here… we used to come to his shop every evening. He was a heart patient too. That sound must have startled him to death,” Shingu said, pointing towards the Metro gate.
They named others too — a shop boy who died on the road divider, a water tanker driver, a man who sold chana — all regulars in the area.
Inside the market, shops had reopened, but the usual throng of street sellers was missing. “Most are still scared to come back,” said Indrajit Kumar Mukhiya, a belt hawker. “Humara roz ki kamayi ka sawaal hai, isiliye hum aa gaye (we came back because our daily earnings depend on this).”
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Inside the market, shops had reopened, but the usual throng of street sellers was missing. Still, the lanes had begun to fill again. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
Mukhiya and another belt seller said they avoided returning for the first three to four days. “I was scared because I heard that sound and the whole sky turned red… most of us thought something could happen again if we returned,” said Kundan Kumar.
Most shopkeepers counted their blessings while recounting the blast. “We’ve lost a lot of business but I’m not complaining..,” said Vicky, who sells earbuds and audio jacks, adding that it’s fortunate it didn’t happen on a Sunday.
Still, the lanes had begun to fill again. Asked whether they felt afraid, Rinky, one of three women shopping for lehengas, shrugged. “Anyone who has to shop for a wedding has to come here… Besides, such an incident won’t happen in the same place twice,” she said.
