NEW DELHI: A powerful accidental explosion at the Nowgam police station on Srinagar’s outskirts killed seven people and injured several others. Officials said the blast occurred while police and forensic teams were examining explosive material brought from Faridabad — part of a 2,900-kg cache of chemicals recovered from an arrested doctor.
The blast triggered a series of smaller explosions and caused significant damage to the police station.
10 key developments in the Nowgam blast and the Faridabad-linked terror module
- Accidental or deliberate?
The late-night explosion occurred during sampling of explosives stored at the Nowgam police station, the primary facility managing the Faridabad terror-module case. Police say it is too early to confirm whether the blast was accidental or planned. - Over two dozen injured, mostly policemen
At least 27 people — 24 police personnel and three civilians — were injured. Many are being treated in Srinagar hospitals for burns and blast injuries. Officials said the incident is tied to the broader investigation that exposed a major terror network. - Explosives transported from Faridabad
The material being examined had been moved from Faridabad, Haryana, where it was seized during the probe into a “white-collar” terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, active across Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. - Part of a 360-kg chemical haul
Investigators had earlier recovered 360 kg of chemicals — including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur — from a rented house linked to arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie. In total, nearly 3,000 kg of explosives and bomb-making components were seized from the module. - Police station building damaged
The midnight blast shattered windows, damaged the structure and jolted the neighbourhood as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. - Case began with threat posters in Nowgam
The module came under scrutiny after posters threatening security forces appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October. A case was registered on October 19. - CCTV led investigators to first suspects
Frame-by-frame CCTV analysis identified three suspects — Arif Nisar Dar (Sahil), Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar (Shahid) — all previously linked to stone-pelting. They were seen putting up the posters. - Interrogation uncovered a deeper plot
Questioning the trio led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-Imam accused of supplying posters and radicalising young doctors by exploiting his access to the medical fraternity. - Faridabad trail reveals doctors at the core
The probe eventually led to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where doctors Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed were arrested, along with a massive haul of explosives. Investigators believe the module’s core comprised three doctors — Muzammil Ganaie, Umar Nabi and the absconding Muzzaffar Rather. A fourth, Dr Adeel Rather, was arrested separately after an AK-56 rifle was recovered from him; his role is still being examined. - Delhi blast link emerges
The incident comes four days after a deadly car explosion in Delhi that killed at least 13 people. CCTV footage shows the Red Fort blast vehicle being driven by Umar, a member of the same module. Agency sources say Umar fled amid the security crackdown, and panic may have driven him to trigger the explosion near Red Fort.
