SRINAGAR: A powerful accidental blast at a police station on Srinagar’s outskirts killed nine people and injured 27 others — mostly policemen and forensic experts — officials said on Friday. CCTV footage from the area captured the moment the explosive material went off.
The explosion occurred while officers were examining a large cache of explosives recently recovered from a suspected ‘white-collar’ terror module. The blast shook the area and caused extensive damage to the Nowgam police station building.
What we know so far
- Nine people were killed and 27 injured when explosive material being sampled at Nowgam police station accidentally detonated, officials said.
- The explosives had been seized from Faridabad, Haryana, as part of an investigation into a ‘white-collar’ terror module.
- The material was part of the 360 kg recovered from the rented residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie.
- Six unidentified bodies were recovered from the debris and moved to the Police Control Room in Srinagar.
- Twenty-nine police personnel and three civilians were hospitalised after the late-night blast, which damaged the police station and set off emergency sirens.
- Several smaller blasts followed the main explosion, slowing bomb disposal teams as they worked to secure the site.
- While a portion of the seized material had been shifted to the forensic lab, a significant quantity remained stored at the Nowgam police station, where the primary case is registered.
- The J&K DGP is scheduled to brief the media today at 10:00 am at PCR Kashmir.
The investigation began in mid-October after posters threatening police and security personnel appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam. A case was registered on 19 October, and a special team was formed.
CCTV analysis led to the arrest of Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, all previously involved in stone-pelting. Their questioning resulted in the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, accused of supplying the posters and radicalising local doctors.
The probe later reached Al Falah University in Faridabad, where doctors Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed were arrested. Chemicals including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur were seized from them.
Investigators say the module was allegedly run by three doctors — Ganaie, Umar Nabi (linked to the Red Fort blast vehicle), and the absconding Muzzaffar Rather. The role of Dr Adeel Rather, from whom an AK-56 rifle was recovered, is still being probed.
