9 killed as explosives seized in terror module case ‘accidentally’ explode at J&K police station

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI, Nov 15: An “accidental” explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, killing nine people and injuring 32 others, senior officials said while underlining that it was not a terror attack.
Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Nalin Prabhat and MHA Joint Secretary (Kashmir) Prashant Lokhande said the incident occurred while officials were handling samples of the large cache of explosives seized in connection with the Jaish-e-Mohammed ‘white-collar’ terror module case in Haryana’s Faridabad.
Prabhat and Lokhande read out almost identical statements before the media in Srinagar and New Delhi, respectively, dismissing speculation of a terror attack and stressing that it was an unfortunate accident. Neither officers took any questions from reporters.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives and has ordered a probe to ascertain the exact cause of the blast.
The explosion 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.
A bulk of the explosives was stored securely in an open area at the Nowgam police station.
The nine who died include Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan and Suhail Ahmad Rather (Revenue Department), Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah of State Investigation Agency, selection grade constable Aijaz Afzal Mir, constable Mohammad Amin Mir and constable Showkat Ahmad Bhat from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), selection grade constable Javaid Mansoor Rather and constable Arshid Ahmad Shah from (crime branch photographers).
Mohammad Shafi Parray, a tailor by profession and attached to the sampling team, also died in the blast.
Thirty-two people, including 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from the nearby area, were injured, and all of them were immediately taken to hospitals.
The massive explosion severely damaged the police station building, and small successive explosions initially hampered rescue operations.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a post on the official X handle of the chief minister, expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic accidental explosion at Nowgam police station.
He said that his government will compensate for the damage caused to nearby structures by the accidental blast at Nowgam police station and stressed the government stands firmly with the victims’ families and will provide every possible support to them.
However, both the Jammu and Kashmir police chief and Lokhande made it clear that the blast occurred while FSL teams were carrying out the prescribed procedure of taking samples from the seized explosives for forensic and chemical examination.
“Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery, the sampling process, the handling was being done with utmost caution,” DGP Prabhat said.
“However, unfortunately, during this course, last night around 11.20 pm, an accidental explosion took place.” The sampling process, necessary due to the “voluminous” nature of the recovery, had been ongoing for two days, he added. The materials being sampled were approximately 360 kg of explosive substances, chemicals, and reagents, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur.
A top official said the huge cache of explosives was brought from Haryana’s Faridabad in small bags on a pickup truck.
About the reason behind transporting the explosives to Kashmir, the official said the original case was registered at the Nowgam police station, and the explosives were the case property of that police station.
Hence, there was a need to transport the explosives, the official added.
This cache was recovered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police from the rented residence of the arrested accused Dr Muzzamil Ganaie in Faridabad on November 9 and 10.Asked about the possible targets of the ‘white-collar’ terror module which hoarded the explosives, the official said the investigators were still grappling for clues. (PTI)