At least nine people were killed and 32 injured after what officials said was an accidental blast that tore through the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday night. Officials said the explosion occurred as authorities were extracting samples from a cache of explosives seized in the Faridabad terror module case, adding that the blast was triggered by the unstable nature of the chemicals.
The material was part of the 360 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, recovered from the rented accommodation of arrested accused Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Faridabad and stored at the police station.
The explosion took place during a routine inspection and sampling process involving a Forensic Science Laboratory team, local police personnel and revenue officials, sources said.
The blast caused extensive damage to the building and set several vehicles in the compound on fire. Windowpanes of nearby houses were also shattered, and the impact was felt few kilometres away.
Those killed in the incident included three personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory, two from the Revenue Department including a Naib Tehsildar, two police photographers, one member of the State Investigation Agency, and a tailor. The bodies have been taken to the Police Control Room in Srinagar.
At least 24 police personnel and three civilians have been admitted to various hospitals in the city, the officials said.
The massive blast smashed the quiet of the night and damaged the police station building. Small successive explosions prevented immediate rescue operations by the bomb disposal squad.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Saturday said the explosion at the Nowgam police station was an “accidental blast”, adding that the cause was under investigation.
“During investigation, an FIR No 162 of 2025 of PS Nowgam, a huge quantity of explosives was recovered from Faridabad on November 9. This recovery like the rest of the recoveries was transported and kept securely in the open area of Police Station Nowgam,” Prabhat told media persons at the Police Control Room in Srinagar.
“As part of the prescribed procedure, the samples of the recovery have to be forwarded for further forensic and chemical examination. On account of the voluminous nature of the recovery, this process was going on for the last two days by the FSL team,” he said.
According to Prabhat, the unstable and sensitive nature of the material meant the sampling and handling were being carried out with extreme caution by the FSL team. “However, unfortunately at around 11.20 pm last night, an accidental explosion took place,” he said.
The blast caused extensive damage to the police station and shook the surrounding area. Windowpanes of many residential houses were shattered, and the impact was felt 2–3 kilometers from the site.
“Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” the DGP asserted. He said nine people were killed in the explosion, while 27 policemen, two revenue officials and three civilians from adjacent areas sustained injuries. The injured were immediately taken to hospital.
Prabhat, said the police station building was severely damaged and nearby structures had also suffered impact. “The extent of this damage is being ascertained. The cause for this incident is being inquired into,” he said.
While some of the explosives recovered have been kept at forensic lab of police, the major part of the 360 kg of explosives was stored at the police station, where the primary case for the terror module was registered.
The explosives were stored at the same police station where the initial FIR was registered in mid-October after posters threatening police and security forces appeared on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam.
Treating the incident as a serious threat, Srinagar police registered a case on October 19 and formed a dedicated team.
Meticulous, frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage led investigators to identify and arrest the first three suspects -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid. These three had cases of stone pelting registered against them and were seen pasting the posters.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam (preacher) from Shopian who supplied the posters and is believed to have radicalised the doctors using his easy access to the medical community.
The trail ultimately led Srinagar police to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where they arrested Dr Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed. It was here that the massive cache of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, was seized.
Investigators believe the entire module was run by a core trio of doctors -- Ganaie, Umar Nabi (the driver of the explosives-laden car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10) and Muzzaffar Rather (absconding).
The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather, the brother of the absconding Dr Muzzaffar Rather from whom an AK-56 rifle was seized, is still under investigation.