The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a Delhi court that the November 10 car bomb explosion near the Red Fort, which killed 12 people, was part of an operation called "Heavenly Hind" launched by a group linked to the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), per a report by Hindustan Times.
In a 7,500-page chargesheet filed before a special court at Patiala House Courts, the agency named four doctors, Muzamil Shakeel, Adeel Ahmed Rather, Shaheen Saeed and Bilal Naseer Malla, along with several alleged co-conspirators, per the HT report.
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The chargesheet also named Jasir Bilal Wani, Aamir Rashid Mir, Yasir Ahmad Dar, Soyab and Mufti Ahmad Wagay, accusing them of playing a role in radicalising members of the module. Charges against Dr Umer Un Nabi, who was driving the car during the blast, have been proposed to be abated as he died in the explosion.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) stand guard at the Red Fort car blast site, in New Delhi, in November 2025. File image/ANI NIA details alleged terror network
The accused have been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Explosives Act, the Arms Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
"All 10 accused, including the main perpetrator, Dr Umer Un Nabi (deceased), were linked to the organisation Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) – an offshoot of the al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)," the NIA said in a statement, per HT.
According to investigators, AGuH was originally formed in 2017 by Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa after splitting from Hizbul Mujahideen. Security officials said the group became largely inactive after Musa was killed in 2019.
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However, the NIA claimed the accused regrouped under "AGuH Interim" after a secret meeting in Srinagar in 2022.
'Operation Heavenly Hind' and explosives recovery
The agency alleged that the group launched "Operation Heavenly Hind" with the aim of overthrowing the Indian government and establishing Sharia rule.
CCTV footage of the car blast near the Red Fort that claimed several lives and injured many others on November 10. "Under the umbrella of the newly-constituted outfit, they launched 'Operation Heavenly Hind' aimed at overthrowing the democratically established Indian government and imposing Sharia rule. They recruited new members, actively propagated the violent Jehadi ideology, stockpiled arms and ammunition, and manufactured explosives on a large scale using commercially available chemicals. They also fabricated and tested various types of IEDs," the agency was quoted as saying by HT.
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The chargesheet stated that the group experimented with rocket and drone-mounted IEDs and procured weapons including an AK-47 and a Krinkov rifle. Forensic teams also confirmed the use of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) in the Delhi blast.
The NIA said DNA fingerprinting helped identify Umer Un Nabi after the explosion. Investigators also gathered evidence from Al-Falah University, where he worked as an assistant professor.
So far, 11 people have been arrested in the case, while investigations are continuing to trace absconders.
