Fatal Explosion at Nowgam Police Station: 9 Dead, 32 Injured in Accidental Blast During Terror Investigation

The blast occurred at a police station in Nowgam

Srinagar:

An accidental explosion at a police station in Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in nine fatalities and 32 injuries on Friday night.

The incident happened while police and forensic experts were extracting samples from a substantial cache of explosives. These explosives had been seized in relation to the recently uncovered 'white-collar' terror module case from Faridabad, Haryana.

CCTV footage from a nearby residence captured the explosion's impact, showing widespread destruction in its wake.

Another video depicted firefighters combating flames as thick smoke billowed from the explosion site. Extensive debris was visible on the ground with multiple vehicles engulfed in flames. Reports indicated that body parts were propelled to neighboring houses approximately 300 meters away.

Residents located more than 15 kilometers from the site reported feeling the blast's impact.

🔴#BREAKING | Visuals show aftermath of Jammu and Kashmir explosion

NDTV's @AdityaRajKaul joins @GaurieD with more details pic.twitter.com/Giz53EZcYC

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat informed reporters, "Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovered materials, they were being handled with extreme caution. Unfortunately, an accidental explosion occurred at approximately 11:20 PM on Friday. Any additional speculation regarding the cause of this incident is unnecessary."

The Nowgam police station had recently solved the case involving Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit posters found in various locations throughout the area.

While some explosives recovered from Faridabad were stored at the police forensic laboratory, the majority of the explosive materials were kept at the police station.

"White Collar" Terror Module

On Monday afternoon, the Jammu and Kashmir Police announced they had dismantled an inter-state and transnational "white collar" terror module. This module was connected to at least two prohibited terrorist organizations – Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an al-Qaeda affiliated terror group active across the union territory.

They reported seizing 2,900 kilograms of explosive substances and arresting seven individuals, including doctors Adeel Ahmad Rather and Muzammil Shakeel, both associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad.

Hours following this announcement, an explosion occurred in a car stopped at a red light near Delhi's iconic Red Fort, resulting in 13 deaths and more than 20 injuries.

The next morning, another doctor from Jammu and Kashmir, Umar Nabi, was identified in connection with the incident, with sources indicating he was driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded.

Sources within the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating this "terrorist incident," suggested that the seizure of bomb-making chemicals may have created panic for the suspect, possibly compelling him to relocate.