Jammu and Kashmir DG Nalin Prabhat on Saturday briefed the media on the blast at Srinagar’s Nowgam Police station, ruling out the terror angle in the incident and calling it “an accidental explosion”. He urged people to refrain from speculation and said that a probe was underway.
As many as nine people were killed and more than 30 others sustained injuries in a late night blast at the Nowgam police station, which took place while the police personnel and forensic experts were handling the explosives seized in Faridabad as part of the terror module busted by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir police.
Following the incident, DG Prabhat said a “huge quantity of explosive substances, chemicals, and reagents” had been recovered earlier this week from Faridabad on November 9 and 10 and transported to the station’s open area for secure storage.
Prabhat explained that, as per procedure, samples from the recovered materials were required to be forwarded for forensic and chemical examination. Because of the “voluminous nature” of the recovery, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team had been conducting sampling work over the past two days. He noted that the substances were “unstable and sensitive,” prompting the team to handle them with “utmost caution.”
“However, unfortunately, during this course, last night, around 11:20 p.m., an accidental explosion took place,” Prabhat said, adding that “any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary.”
According to the DGP, the nine individuals killed included one personnel from the State Investigation Agency (SIA), three members of the FSL team, two crime scene photographers, two revenue officials attached to the magistrate’s team, and one tailor who had been associated with the operation.
An additional 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from nearby residential areas sustained injuries and were immediately taken to a hospital for treatment.
The explosion caused severe structural damage to the Nowgam Police Station building, and adjacent buildings were also affected, Prabhat said. Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the destruction.
Prabhat noted that an inquiry into the cause of the explosion is underway. “J&K Police stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased in this hour of grief,” he added.
