Surinder Sharma
Srinagar: A major explosion occurred at the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar on Friday night at around 11:22 pm. Nine personnel lost their lives and 32 others were injured. The injured have been admitted to the 92 Army Base Hospital and SKIMS Soura, where treatment is ongoing.
According to officials, the blast took place while police were collecting samples from explosives seized in a “white-collar terror module” case. It is yet to be confirmed whether the entire 360 kg of explosives had been brought to the police station or only a portion of it.
Jammu & Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat described the explosion as an accident, stating that it occurred during the sampling process. Among the nine deceased are one inspector, three members of the forensic team, two crime branch photographers, two revenue officials and one tailor.
The explosives had been seized from a rented residence in Faridabad, Haryana, belonging to Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, who has already been arrested in connection with the Delhi blast case. On November 10, a car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort had claimed 13 lives.
Commenting on the Srinagar incident, Prashant Lokhande, Joint Secretary (Jammu & Kashmir Division), Ministry of Home Affairs, said the forensic team was examining the explosives as per SOPs when the sudden blast occurred. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.
