Poonam Nath

JK police station explosion: 9 dead, 32 injured in ‘accidental’ blast

Digital Desk: Some explosives that were seized and kept at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), detonated on Friday, killing at least nine people and injuring 32 more.

Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat of J&K stated at a press conference that the explosion was "accidental" and that "any further speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary."

Initial reports stated that the explosion happened while some police officers and other authorities were taking samples out of a sizable cache of 360 kg of explosives that had been seized in the Haryana "white-collar" terror module case.

The explosion set several cars in the compound on fire and seriously damaged the building. The impact was felt a few kilometers away, and the windowpanes of neighboring houses were also broken.

Three employees of the Forensic Science Laboratory, two Revenue Department employees, including a Naib Tehsildar, two police photographers, a State Investigation Agency employee, and a tailor were among those killed in the incident. The bodies have been transported to Srinagar's Police Control Room.

According to officials, three civilians and at least 24 police officers have been admitted to different hospitals throughout the city.

The police station building was damaged, and the night's silence was broken by the enormous explosion. The bomb disposal squad was unable to rescue anyone right away due to a series of small explosions.

After considering a recent incident as a serious threat, Srinagar police organized a specialized team and filed a case on October 19. Following a thorough examination of CCTV footage, three suspects connected to previous stone-pelting incidents were taken into custody: Arif Nisar Dar, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar.

Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic who became an imam and allegedly supplied local doctors with posters to radicalize them, was arrested as a result of their interrogation. A sizable cache of explosive chemicals was seized and two doctors, Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed, were taken into custody at Al Falah University in Faridabad as a result of this investigation.

Doctors Ganaie and Umar Nabi appear to have planned the operation, and Dr. Adeel Rather, who was linked to an absconding associate, is still being investigated.