Nowgam police station blast in J&K kills 9, injures 32 as seized explosives detonate inside

At least nine people were killed and 32 injured when a massive explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar late November 14, turning the building to rubble and sending shockwaves across Jammu and Kashmir.

The blast occurred during the handling of explosive material seized in the Faridabad terror module case — an incident police insist was “purely accidental,” even as a militant shadow group attempted to claim responsibility.

The explosion, described by rescuers as one of the most devastating in recent years, gutted several vehicles parked outside and shattered windows in adjoining buildings. Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage captured a fireball tearing through the structure, with body parts later found nearly 300 feet away — a grim indication of the force unleashed.

Authorities fear the toll may rise, with several injured personnel battling for their lives and some individuals still unaccounted for as rescue teams continued combing through the debris through the night.

‘Accidental blast’, says DGP

J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, rejecting claims by the PAFF — an outfit linked to Jaish-e-Muhammad — said there was “no doubt” the explosion was triggered accidentally while officials were extracting samples from the massive stockpile of seized explosives.

“A huge quantity of explosive substances and chemicals was recovered from Faridabad and brought to PS Nowgam. Despite extreme caution, an accidental explosion occurred,” Prabhat said, urging people to avoid “unnecessary speculation.”

The blast killed a State Investigation Agency official, three Forensic Science Laboratory experts, two crime branch personnel, two revenue officials and a tailor assisting the team. Another 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians were injured.

The police station, he said, suffered “very severe” structural damage, with adjoining buildings also impacted. Much of the 350 kg of explosives recovered in the terror module case had been stored at the station, where the main FIR is registered.

Security tightened, top officials scramble

Soon after the blast, security forces cordoned off the area, deploying sniffer dogs as teams searched for survivors. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo visited hospitals to meet the injured and assess the response.

The explosives had originally been seized from the rented accommodation of Dr. Muzzamil Shakeel Ganaie in Faridabad, one of eight accused arrested so far in the fast-unravelling terror conspiracy.

The blast came just hours after the DGP conducted a hybrid security review across the Union Territory, following another explosion earlier this week near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed at least 13.

A terror trail from Nowgam posters to Faridabad labs

Investigators say the chain of events began in mid-October when threatening posters surfaced in Nowgam. CCTV leads resulted in the arrest of three local men—Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid — each previously involved in stone-pelting cases.

Their interrogation pointed to Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-preacher accused of radicalising medical professionals. This led agencies to Faridabad’s Al-Falah University, where doctors Muzammil Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed were arrested.

Searches of their rented spaces uncovered large quantities of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sulphur and other chemicals—along with an additional 2,900 kg of precursor material tied to another Pulwama-based doctor.

The probe intensified dramatically after a car exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing 13 and injuring more than 20. Officials later identified the driver as Dr. Umar Nabi, one of the suspected masterminds of the developing terror module. Investigators believe the recovery of chemicals may have spooked the accused, prompting frantic movement between locations.

Alongside Ganaie and Nabi, another doctor — Muzzaffar Rather — remains absconding and is believed to be a key link in the network. Adeel Rather, his brother, was arrested later with an AK-56 rifle, though his exact role is still under scrutiny.