Indian security forces have detained hundreds of people in India-administered Kashmir and carried out widespread raids as part of their investigation into this week’s deadly car explosion in New Delhi, officials said Thursday.

The blast, which occurred on Monday near the historic Red Fort monument, killed eight people and injured several others.

India’s government confirmed on Wednesday that the explosion was being treated as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly.

In a resolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet stated, “The country has witnessed a heinous terror incident, perpetrated by anti-national forces, through a car explosion.” It directed investigators to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, collaborators, and sponsors “without delay.”

According to officials, more than 1,000 people have been detained in sweeping raids, with several hundred homes searched—mostly those belonging to relatives of detainees or people labelled as “anti-India activists.”

Earlier arrests before the Delhi blast

Just hours before Monday’s explosion, police in India-administered Kashmir said they had arrested at least seven people, including three doctors, and seized weapons and bomb-making materials in Faridabad, a city near New Delhi.

While Indian media quickly speculated that the explosion was linked to the arrested Kashmiri doctors, police have not confirmed any connection.

Four police officers in Kashmir told the Associated Press, on condition of anonymity, that the investigation began after anti-India posters appeared in Srinagar on October 19. CCTV footage led to several arrests, eventually resulting in the detention of two Kashmiri doctors and other suspects.

Doctor under scrutiny

Indian news outlets reported that investigators were probing whether another Kashmiri doctor, identified as Dr. Umer from Faridabad Medical College, was driving the car that exploded.

Police have yet to confirm those reports, though local media claimed the doctor might have either triggered the blast to evade arrest or accidentally detonated the explosives he was transporting.

Dr. Umer’s family in Pulwama district said they lost contact with him last Friday. “He said he would come home after three days, but we never heard from him again,” said his sister-in-law, Shagufta Jan. “Police later detained his mother and two brothers for questioning.”

‘Intimidation of Kashmiris’

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti criticised the sweeping arrests, warning against “intimidation of Kashmiris in the name of investigation.”

“You are arresting mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters on suspicion without proven guilt. This should not happen,” she said.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Indian authorities of misusing their powers in Kashmir and condemned media narratives that incite hostility toward Kashmiri Muslims—often leading to mob violence in Indian cities against Kashmiri students and traders.

Longstanding conflict

Kashmir remains at the centre of a decades-long dispute between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the region in full but control separate parts.

An armed insurgency against Indian rule began in 1989, with many Muslim residents demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of backing the rebellion, a charge Islamabad denies, saying it only offers political and moral support.

The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives—civilians, militants, and troops—over nearly eight decades. The United Nations has passed several resolutions calling for a plebiscite to determine the region’s future.