NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday said a detailed investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the ‘accidental’ blast at Nowgam police station in Jammu & Kashmir on Friday night, which claimed nine lives and left 32 injured.
The MHA stated that prima facie, the explosion is believed to have been caused by highly unstable explosives recovered during an ongoing probe into a terror module linked to the 10 November Delhi Red Fort blast, which had killed 12 people.
Briefing the media, Prashant Lokhande, Joint Secretary in the MHA’s Jammu & Kashmir Division, said, “On 14 November at 11:20 PM, a massive explosion occurred inside Nowgam Police Station in an unfortunate accidental incident. The police had cracked a case of a terror module and recovered a large cache of explosives and chemicals during the investigation of FIR 162 of 2025. The materials were stored securely in an open area of the police station. All agencies are working together in a coordinated and scientific manner.”
Lokhande explained that forensic processing of the seized material had continued for nearly two days under expert supervision, but the “unstable and sensitive nature” of some substances may have contributed to the accidental detonation.
“In this unfortunate incident, nine people have lost their lives, while 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians have been injured,” he said. All injured were immediately shifted for medical care, and the police station building sustained severe structural damage.
Authorities have launched a detailed inquiry into the exact cause of the blast, Lokhande added, and urged the public to refrain from speculation. “No alternative cause should be assumed until the investigation is complete. The government stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased,” he said.
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been deployed to the site to assist in the investigation.