J&K police station blast was accident, says DGP; 9 killed

The toll stood at nine on Saturday evening, with officials saying the remains of the deceased were recovered more than 100 metres away. The police confirmed the identities of the dead: an officer of the SIA, three members of the forensic team, two revenue officials, two photographers of the Crime Branch, and the tailor. At least 32 people, mostly police personnel, were injured.

“Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery, the sampling process, the handling was done with extreme caution, with utmost caution by the FSL team,” Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat read out from a brief statement. “However, unfortunately, during this course last night, around 11:20 pm, an accidental explosion took place… in this unfortunate incident, nine people have lost their lives.”

“Any other speculation into the cause of the incident is unnecessary,” he said.

The J&K Police denied there was a terror angle to the explosion. Reacting to reports that People Against Fascist Forces (which police say is a shadow group of Jaish) had claimed responsibility for the Nowgam incident, it posted on X: “The claim of PAFF or any other Pakistani terrorist group is patently false, baseless and mischievous!”

The explosive material at Nowgam police station, including several hundred kilograms of ammonium nitrate, had been recovered after raids were conducted in Haryana’s Faridabad, where Umar Nabi, who was driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort, Muzamil Shakeel Ganai and Shaheen Shahid Ansari were working as doctors at the Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences & Research Centre.

Police had recovered more than 350 kg of ammonium nitrate in Faridabad. This was part of roughly 2,900 kg of suspected explosive material, which also included potash, phosphorus, reagents, inflammable material, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote controls, timers and metal sheets.

The material was transported to Srinagar and stored in an open shed, inside the compound of the Nowgam police station, where the original case was registered before the SIA took over. The police station first got involved in October, when some posters related to the Jaish surfaced in the area. The probe into a seemingly local issue at first would lead police hundreds of kilometres away from the Valley, exposing the module.

Such was the intensity of the explosion that it could be heard 30 kilometres away.

A senior official, who was among the first responders, told The Indian Express he had not witnessed such scenes before, “Body parts were scattered; it was difficult to watch. The building where the explosion took place had completely crumbled.”

Officials said that around half a dozen vehicles were inside the police station at the time.

“The camera (of the Crime Branch photographer) was retrieved from the rooftop of a building 300 metres away,” said an officer, indicating the intensity of the blast. “We are yet to collect many body parts.”

A senior officer said that while it is difficult to know what exactly caused the explosion. Hydrogen peroxide, the officer said, is a powerful oxidiser that can decompose to release large amounts of oxygen gas and heat, accelerating burning of flammable materials. The officer also said the use of sealing wax could be a reason, but a deeper probe is required to get to the bottom of the incident.

Asked if the destruction of the seized material could have a bearing on the terror module case, a senior police officer said that though the development is a setback, it will not have a palpable impact during the trial. “It is unlikely to impact the outcome of the case. It is amply clear this was explosive material. The prosecution could take the line that even though forensic analysis could not be done, the explosion itself reveals the nature of the seized material,” the officer said.

The Nowgam police station is housed in a rented residential building deep inside a congested neighbourhood in Nowgam. And as the explosion rocked the police station, houses in the area suffered damage.

“We had just gone to sleep when the explosion took place. The window panes came crashing and there was a huge fire outside,” said a 50-year-old resident. “The children started crying. Then there was noise outside, and I stepped out to see that the police station was completely destroyed.”

Meanwhile, the J&K government announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 1 lakh each to those injured.