India has called the Delhi blast an act of terror': How will it respond?

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet late Wednesday described the car explosion which jolted New Delhi earlier in the week as a heinous terror incident, perpetrated by antinational forces. The Indian government's words, two days after a slow-moving car blew up near the Red Fort, an iconic 17th-century monument in New Delhi, killing at least 13 people and wounding several, have since led to questions about how it might respond, raising concerns over the prospect of a new spike in regional tensions."

"Ambulances are kept on standby on a blood-spattered road at the blast site after an explosion near the Red Fort in the old quarters of Delhi on November 10, 2025. At least 13 people were killed and 19 injured when a car exploded in the heart of the Indian capital, New Delhi's deputy fire chief told AFP [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]"

"Earlier this year, in May, the Indian government had declared a new security doctrine: Any act of terror will be treated as an act of war. That posture had come in the aftermath of an intense four-day air war between India and Pakistan, after India blamed Islamabad for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians."

New Delhi labeled a car explosion near the Red Fort a heinous terror incident attributed to antinational forces. The blast killed at least 13 people and wounded several in the capital's historic center. Earlier this year India adopted a security doctrine that treats any act of terror as an act of war following a four-day air confrontation with Pakistan after a deadly Kashmir attack. The Modi government has not explicitly blamed Pakistan for the Delhi blast. Political analysts warn that official language, growing Islamophobia, and anti-Kashmiri sentiment may presage a harsher security crackdown in Kashmir. Police activity tied to Kashmir-based leads had already prompted raids across the national capital region.

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