Blast in Srinagar's Nowgam, explosives from NCR's Faridabad: 9 killed in ‘accident’ during terror probe | Top points

The massive Nowgam blast severely damaged the police station building and affected adjacent structures.

An accidental blast rocked the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday night, killing at least nine people and injuring several others.

A view of a damaged Nowgam police station after a blast occurred, in Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday. (ANI Photo)

The blast occurred around 11:20 PM on Friday when a specialised team was extracting samples from a large and "unstable" cache of explosives confiscated in connection with an ongoing 'white-collar' terror module investigation, which is also connected to the Delhi Red Fort blast that killed at least 10.

The massive blast severely damaged the police station building and affected adjacent structures. Small successive explosions initially hampered rescue operations.

The Nowgam blast: Top points

• Nine people were killed and 32 others were injured in the explosion, which severely damaged the Nowgam police station building and affected the nearby structures.
• Three personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, two crime photographers, two Revenue officials (part of the Magistrate's team), one official from the State Investigation Agency, and one tailor associated with the team were killed in the blast. Also, 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from adjacent areas were injured in the incident and were immediately evacuated to local hospitals for treatment.
• Senior officials on Saturday underlined that the blast was not a terror attack. Director general of police (DGP), Jammu and Kashmir, Nalin Prabhat and Joint Secretary, ministry of home affairs (MHA), Prashant Lokhande, read out similar statements before the media in Srinagar and New Delhi, respectively, dismissing speculation of a terror attack and stressing that it was an unfortunate accident.
• Both DGP Prabhat and secretary Lokhande made it clear that the blast occurred while FSL teams were conducting the prescribed procedure of taking samples from a huge haul of seized explosives from the terror module busted in Haryana’s Faridabad for forensic and chemical examination.
• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a probe into the explosion at the police station. In his post on X, he said, "I have ordered a probe to ascertain the cause of the accidental explosion.”
• Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah stated that the government will compensate for any damages caused to nearby structures. Abdullah said the government stands firmly with the victims' families and will provide them with every possible support.
• Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the blast and said Pakistan-sponsored terrorism must end now, as the region has suffered immensely from the menace over the last 35 years.
• The materials being sampled were approximately 360 kg of explosive substances, chemicals, and reagents, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur. The huge cache of explosives was brought from Haryana's Faridabad in a Tata 407 pickup truck in small bags, a top official told PTI.
• The explosives were recovered by Jammu and Kashmir Police from the rented residence of the arrested accused, Dr Muzzamil Ganaie, in Faridabad on November 9 and 10, linked to the “white collar” terror module that is also said to be behind the November 10 Delhi Red Fort blast. The bulk of the 360 kg of explosives was stored securely in an open area at the Nowgam police station.
• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, however, said the Srinagar blast is a wake-up call for the Central government to strengthen intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms, and it cannot run from accountability. He demanded an urgent all-party meeting to discuss the "growing threat" of terrorism that continues to receive support from external forces.
• Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also expressed concern and paid tributes to the deceased, while hoping for the early recovery of the injured.