No blame: Why India is being cautious with accusations after Delhi blast

PM Modi said in May that any future ‘terror’ attack would be viewed as an ‘act of war’. That limits who India can blame.

New Delhi, India – In May after four days of fighting with Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared “any future act of terror will be treated as an act of war” by his government.

New Delhi had blamed Islamabad for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April that killed 25 tourists. Islamabad denied India’s allegations, but in early May, India launched aerial attacks deep inside Pakistani territory, sparking a brief but intense air war in which the South Asian neighbours bombed each other’s military bases.

After four days, they agreed to a ceasefire, but Modi’s comments drew a new red line and a low threshold for future military action against Pakistan.

Then on Monday, India’s capital, New Delhi, was shaken by a large explosion near the Red Fort, the Mughal-era monument that’s a symbol of political power in the world’s most populous nation. At least 13 people were killed and two dozen wounded.

The Indian government is investigating the incident as a “terrorist attack”. The inquiry is being led by the National Investigation Agency, which is mandated to probe “terrorism”-related cases. Authorities have also invoked stringent “counterterrorism” charges in trying to track down those behind the explosion.