New Delhi, Jan. 13 -- Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, Delhi Police have directed all district units to carry out inspections and verifications at shops selling chemicals, drugs and industrial substances to ensure that no banned or hazardous chemicals or mixtures are being sold in bulk. Police said the exercise is part of a larger security drive covering shops, hotels and establishments ahead of Republic Day.

Shop owners have been asked to verify their records and maintain proper logs and ledgers. The directions assume significance in light of the blast near the Red Fort in November in which 15 people were killed and several others injured. Police had said the main accused, Dr Uman Un Nabi, who died in the blast, was transporting ...