From Kashmir poster to Delhi car blast: How India attack unfolded

Twenty-six days earlier a immense blast ripped done a crowded thoroughfare successful Delhi, sidesplitting 13 people, a pamphlet with a greenish letterhead had appeared successful Nowgam, a staid neighbourhood of cinder-block homes and rutted streets connected the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city.

Drafted successful breached Urdu, the missive proclaimed affiliation with Jaish-e-Muhammad, a proscribed equipped radical based successful Pakistan.

The substance was loaded with warnings directed astatine Indian authorities forces stationed successful the region, and astatine those successful the section colonisation seen arsenic having betrayed Kashmir’s separatist movement.

“We pass the section radical of strict enactment who bash not adhere to this warning,” the poster read, cautioning shopkeepers connected the road betwixt Srinagar and Jammu, different cardinal city, against sheltering authorities forces.

Such missives were erstwhile communal from section and Pakistan-backed equipped groups astatine the tallness of the region’s question to interruption from Indian power successful the 1990s and the aboriginal 2000s.

But aft the Indian authorities revoked Kashmir’s peculiar status, scrapped its statehood, and divided the country into 2 federally ruled territories successful August 2019, specified posters person been little communal – and equipped unit has fallen, too. Armed attacks came down from 597 successful 2018 to 145 successful 2025, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a level that tracks and analyses attacks successful South Asia.

The emergence of the pamphlet acceptable disconnected a three-week manhunt spanning Kashmir and aggregate Indian regions. It was this investigation, accidental officials, that connected the threads betwixt aggregate individuals plotting an onslaught – including a doc believed to person been driving the car that exploded connected a packed thoroughfare junction successful New Delhi connected Monday, hardly metres (a fewer feet) from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a celebrated Mughal-era monument.

The lawsuit and its sum successful ample parts of the Indian media person besides prompted a question of Islamophobia and anti-Kashmiri sentiment.

The student and the doctors

As information officials looked to way the root of the pamphlet successful Nowgam, they zeroed successful connected clips from CCTVs. Based connected what they saw, they “picked up a mates of suspects, among whom was a Muslim student from the Shopian territory of South Kashmir”, a constabulary authoritative based successful Kashmir told Al Jazeera connected information of anonymity arsenic helium wasn’t authorised to speech to the media.

The 24-year-old scholar, Irfan Ahmad, preached astatine a section mosque successful Srinagar wherever the posters had appeared.

His interrogation led constabulary to different name: Adeel Rather, a doc surviving successful Wanpora village, Kulgam, 20km (12 miles) away.

But erstwhile constabulary reached Rather’s house, helium wasn’t there. They yet traced and arrested him immoderate 500km (300 miles) distant successful the dusty municipality of Saharanpur successful the authorities of Uttar Pradesh, wherever Rather was moving astatine a backstage hospital.  The constabulary assertion they besides recovered an battle firearm successful his locker successful Government Medical College Anantnag, successful Kashmir, wherever helium worked until October 2024.

When Rather was questioned, helium named different associate: Muzammil Shakeel Ganai, yet different Kashmiri doc moving successful Al-Falah University successful Faridabad, 1 of the cardinal outer cities astir New Delhi.

Indian constabulary assertion that erstwhile they raided 2 homes rented successful Ganai’s sanction successful Faridabad, they recovered incendiary chemicals and weaponry weighing 2,900kg (6,400lb).

Investigators analyse the tract of Monday’s car detonation adjacent the historical Red Fort, successful New Delhi, India, Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (AP Photo)

‘Transactional panic module busted’

These arrests, Indian constabulary successful Kashmir claim, person helped them unearth what they picture arsenic a “transnational panic module” linked to Jaish-e-Muhammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), different proscribed combatant outfit linked to al-Qaeda.

AGuH was founded successful Kashmir by Zakir Rashid, a section combatant commandant who was changeable by authorities forces successful May 2019. Although its activities person since quietened, Indian constabulary assertion that the radical has been revived by caller leaders from neighbouring Pakistan.

“In a large counterterrorism success, Jammu and Kashmir constabulary person busted an inter-state and transactional panic module,” constabulary said successful a statement.

“During the ongoing investigation, searches were conducted astatine aggregate locations by Jammu and Kashmir police,” the connection read. It besides said that 7 accused were arrested from antithetic locations, including Ganai and Rather, the doctors; Ahmed, the scholar; and 4 different people.

Those others see a pistillate from Lucknow successful Uttar Pradesh state.

But officials accidental their investigations besides led them to different Kashmiri doctor, Umar Nabi.

Before they could apprehension Nabi, though, the Indian superior was rocked by Monday’s explosion. Driving the achromatic sports car laden with explosives, accidental investigators, was 29-year-old Nabi.

Family members of a car detonation unfortunate grieve arsenic they get astatine a infirmary mortuary to cod the assemblage successful New Delhi, India, Tuesday, November 11, 2025 [AP Photo]

‘Crackdown crossed Kashmir’

CCTV recordings from New Delhi released by constabulary amusement a young antheral successful a achromatic disguise driving the Hyundai hatchback passing done a toll booth successful Delhi. Another clip reveals the aforesaid conveyance moving dilatory done the traffic-clogged junction earlier a yellowish flash of airy appears connected the screen.

Amid a nationwide information alert pursuing the explosion, constabulary person launched a crackdown crossed parts of Kashmir. On November 12, heavy armoured constabulary and members of the paramilitary roamed the streets successful Srinagar, pushing their mode into homes for searches.

In the Kulgam territory of South Kashmir alone, information forces conducted 400 hunt operations, rounding up astir 500 radical for questioning. Similar raids were reported from the districts of  Baramulla, Handwara, Sopore, Kulgam, Pulwama and Awantipora.

In Koil colony of southbound Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the household of Nabi – the alleged operator of the car that exploded – is successful shock.

“On Monday evening, constabulary took distant my brother-in-law and past my husband,” said Nabi’s sister-in-law, Muzamil Akhtar. “We were taken aback erstwhile we saw the media and constabulary here; we did not cognize anything.”

She said constabulary had besides taken distant Nabi’s parent for DNA sampling.

“Our full location was thoroughly searched. I spoke to Umar past week connected Friday. He was mean and told maine helium would beryllium coming location aft 3 days. We were each excited astir his visit. We did not expect immoderate of this,” she said.

Relatives described Nabi arsenic an exceptional pupil successful his schoolhouse and aesculapian assemblage successful Srinagar. One comparative said the household utilized to look upon Umar with pridefulness for his achievements.

“He was ever carrying a publication successful his hand. He was ever speechmaking and engrossed successful books. He was our hope,” the comparative said done the blur of tears, requesting anonymity. “He was a calm person.”

Less than a kilometre (half a mile) from Nabi’s home, determination is an eerie soundlessness astatine the location of Ganai, the doc arrested successful Faridabad.

His father, Shakeel Ganai, told Al Jazeera they were informed by the constabulary connected Tuesday that their lad had been brought to Kashmir from Faridabad for questioning.

“We did not cognize what was happening; we had nary thought astir immoderate of this,” Shakeel said.

Ganai studied astatine a section schoolhouse successful Koil colony and aboriginal cleared the competitory exam for a grade successful medicine from Jammu. He besides pursued a master’s people successful medicine from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) successful Srinagar and aboriginal joined Al-Falah University successful Faridabad, wherever helium had been moving for 2 years.

“He visited location successful July erstwhile I went done a kidney surgery. We would speech to him astir each day,” Shakeel, the father, said, adding that constabulary searched their location and detained his different lad arsenic well.

Ganai’s sister, who is besides studying medicine and was scheduled to beryllium joined successful November, said the lawsuit should beryllium decently probed.

“My member worked hard his full life. He was precise ambitious. We cannot judge helium is progressive successful this,” she said.

An Indian worker stands defender successful Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, November 12, 2025 [Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo]

‘Lists of Kashmiri residents’

But adjacent arsenic investigations continue, Islamophobia and anti-Kashmiri sentiments person swept respective municipality communities astir India.

On November 12, constabulary successful the Indian metropolis of Gurgaon called up lodging societies to compile a database of the Kashmiri residents surviving among them, causing a consciousness of panic.

Social media sites successful India person successful caller days been inundated with calls for unit against Kashmiris, with immoderate users besides pledging to evict Kashmiri tenants surviving successful cities similar Delhi and Noida.

Nasir Khuehami, a pupil activistic from Kashmir, said astir 150,000 Kashmiri students are studying successful antithetic parts of India. “They are presently plagued by the thoughts of information and security,” Khuehami said.

The detonation and investigations into it person besides raised caller questions astir India’s attack to Kashmir and warring equipped groups, accidental experts.

Earlier this year, Amit Shah, India’s location minister, had boasted astir however determination was present “zero recruitment” into the ranks of equipped rebels successful Indian-administered Kashmir. In a code successful Parliament, helium said each fighters killed by authorities forces successful Kashmir successful the archetypal fractional of 2025 were foreigners.

But experts present judge specified statements were misleading.

“There volition ne'er beryllium an implicit certainty that the recruitment has travel to an end,” said Ajai Sahni, enforcement manager of the Institute for Conflict Management successful New Delhi. “These doctors were colleagues who appeared to person been bound by communal beliefs oregon by idiosyncratic friendships. I would not telephone it recruitment but mobilisation.”