Seven people lost their lives, and many others were hurt in a powerful accidental explosion at the Nowgam police station located on the outskirts of Srinagar. The blast took place late on a Friday night while police and forensic teams were examining explosive material seized from Faridabad, which was part of a 2,900-kilogram chemical cache recovered from an arrested doctor involved in the case. The explosion caused a series of smaller blasts that heavily damaged the police station building, shattering windows and disrupting the quiet neighbourhood as emergency vehicles rushed to the site.

The Explosion and Immediate Aftermath

The incident occurred amid a probe into a white-collar terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, terror groups operating across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The explosive material had been transported from Faridabad, Haryana for forensic examination and was stored at the Nowgam police station, which was the primary station handling this terror module case. Investigators had earlier seized around 360 kilograms of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur, from a rented residence linked to the arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie. Approximately 3,000 kilograms of explosives and bomb-making equipment stored by this module were also seized as part of the ongoing investigations.

The blast resulted in significant casualties, with at least 27 people injured, of whom 24 were police personnel and three were civilians. Many injured are receiving treatment for burns and blast-related trauma at hospitals in Srinagar. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has confirmed that the explosion was accidental and that a detailed investigation is underway to ascertain whether the blast was premeditated or due to mishandling during the sampling of explosives.

Investigation and Terror Module Background

The case originated when threat posters appeared on walls in the Bunpora area of Nowgam in mid-October, prompting Srinagar Police to register a case on October 19. Analyzing CCTV footage helped identify suspects involved in past stone-pelting incidents who were found responsible for pasting these posters. Their interrogation led to further arrests, including Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam, who allegedly supplied the threat posters and radicalised young doctors.

Further investigation revealed links to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where doctors Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed were arrested. Alongside them, the core of the module included doctors Umar Nabi, Muzzaffar Rather, and Adeel Rather. The latter was arrested separately after an AK-56 rifle was found in his possession, with his role still under investigation.

This explosion occurs just days after a deadly car blast in Delhi near the Red Fort, which caused at least 13 deaths. CCTV footage linked Umar Nabi, a member of the same terror module, to this Delhi blast. It is believed his actions were driven by panic following the successful crackdown by security forces, leading to the Red Fort explosion.

The blast at Nowgam police station highlights the dangers faced by security and forensic personnel in carrying out their duties amid counterterrorism efforts, and it underlines the ongoing threat posed by terror modules operating in multiple Indian states.

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