Srinagar- A massive explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station on Srinagar's outskirts late Friday night, killing nine people and injuring thirty-two others. Senior officials confirmed that the blast was“accidental,” not a terror attack, and occurred while a specialised forensic team was handling explosive material seized from a recently busted Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked“white-collar” terror module in Haryana's Faridabad.

Among the nine killed were Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan and Suhail Ahmad Rather of the Revenue Department, Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah of the State Investigation Agency (SIA), three FSL personnel - Selection Grade Constable Aijaz Afzal Mir, Constable Mohammad Amin Mir, and Constable Showkat Ahmad Bhat, two crime branch photographers - Javaid Mansoor Rather and Arshid Ahmad Shah, and Mohammad Shafi Parray, a local tailor assisting the team.

Thirty-two others - including twenty-seven police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from nearby areas - were injured and shifted to various hospitals for treatment.

The blast, which severely damaged the police station building and nearby structures, was so powerful that successive smaller explosions followed, initially hampering rescue operations. Windows in homes up to a kilometre away were shattered.

“Houses – as far as 300-500 meters away – suffered extensive damage,”locals said.

Blast Accidental, No Sabotage: DGP

Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Nalin Prabhat and Joint Secretary (Kashmir) in the Union Home Ministry, Prashant Lokhande dismissed speculation of sabotage and called it an“unfortunate accident.” Both officials declined to take questions from reporters.

Briefing media, the DGP said the seized ammonium nitrate and related substances had been stored at the police station in accordance with the procedure followed during live investigations.

“The explosion took place around 11:20 pm while the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was extracting samples from a large and unstable cache of explosive material,” DGP Prabhat said.“Due to the sensitive nature of the recovery, the handling was being done with utmost caution. Unfortunately, an accidental explosion occurred during the process.”

“One personnel of SIA (State Investigation Agency), three personnel of the FSL team, two crime photographers, two revenue officials who were part of the magistrate's team, and one tailor who was associated with the team, were among those killed,” the DGP said.

He said 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from the adjacent were sustained injuries in the incident.

“The injured were immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital, where they are being treated. The police station building has been severely damaged, and even the adjacent buildings have been affected,” he said.

The extent of the damage due to the explosion is being ascertained, and the cause for“this unfortunate incident” is being inquired into, Prabhat added.

The DGP said the police stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased in this hour of grief.

As the probe begins, officials say the focus will be on whether any lapse occurred in handling or storing the explosives.“The cause of the accident is being investigated,” Prashant Lokhande, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said.“Any speculation at this stage is unnecessary.”

Owing to the“unstable and sensitive” nature of the recovery, it was being handled very carefully under expert supervision, the joint secretary said.

From Faridabad to Nowgam: The Explosives Trail

The cache, weighing nearly 360 kilograms, contained ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sulphur, and other chemicals. The material had been transported from Faridabad to Srinagar in a Tata 407 pickup truck as case property linked to the Nowgam Police Station, officials said.

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