Srinagar. India’s cabinet has described this week’s deadly car bombings in the capital New Delhi as a “terrorist attack by anti-national forces”. However, the government has not released any new evidence related to the incident.

Eight people were killed and several others injured in an explosion near the historic Red Fort on Monday. As part of the investigation, authorities on Wednesday arrested some suspects from different parts of the disputed Kashmir region. The Indian government on Tuesday launched an investigation into the incident as a possible terrorist act, giving authorities broad legal powers.

The cabinet resolution passed on Wednesday night described the incident as a “heinous act of terrorism committed by anti-national forces”. The Red Fort, where Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli addresses the nation every year on Independence Day, is considered a symbol of India’s pride. If it turns out to be a planned attack, it would be the deadliest blast in the Indian capital since 2011.

Arrests and investigations in Kashmir

At least five people have been detained for questioning in a raid conducted in Pulwama district on Tuesday night. Hours after the blast, security agencies in Kashmir announced the dismantling of a suspected terrorist cell in Faridabad on the outskirts of New Delhi. Seven people, including two doctors, were arrested and a huge cache of explosives and weapons was seized.

Indian media has suspected that there is a link between the Faridabad cell and the Red Fort blast. However, the police have not officially confirmed anything. Police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cell’s clue was found during an investigation into anti-India posters that had surfaced around Srinagar on October 19. The posters threatened to attack Indian security personnel.

With the help of CCTV footage, the three suspects were initially identified. In the following days, two Kashmiri doctors and a few others were also arrested. Local media said the driver of the car was also a Kashmiri.

The police are also probing whether a doctor teaching at the Faridabad Medical College was driving the car. According to some reports, he may have deliberately detonated the bomb to avoid the explosion or it may have happened by accidentally transporting explosives.

Delhi Police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said the investigation team is investigating “terror attack, accidental explosion or mechanical fault — all angles”.

Shagufta Jan, a resident of Pulwama, expressed concern that her doctor brother has been out of contact since Friday. “He called us and said he would come home, but we didn’t get in touch after that,” he said. Police also took his family members for questioning on Monday night.

India-Pakistan tensions likely to escalate again

This incident has again raised concerns that tensions between India and Pakistan could escalate. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting terrorist attacks on its soil. Islamabad has denied the allegations.

In April this year, 26 people were killed in attacks in Kashmir, most of them Hindu pilgrims. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the incident, which then led to a military clash between the two countries.

Both India and Pakistan administer Kashmir partially, but both claim the entire region. Kashmiri insurgents have been fighting against Indian control since 1989. India considers this conflict as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, while Pakistan describes it as “freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people”.

New Delhi has faced major terrorist attacks in the past. In 1996, 13 people were killed in a car bomb blast in Lajpat Nagar market, and in 2008, 20 people were killed in coordinated blasts. Kashmiri militant groups and an Indian Islamic student organisation were also accused of involvement in these incidents.

The recent car blasts in New Delhi have not only raised questions about the security of the capital, but also hinted at the Kashmir dispute and the possibility of a resurgence of tension between India and Pakistan.