SRINAGAR, Nov 15: Nine people were killed and 32 injured in a devastating accidental explosion at Nowgam police station in Srinagar on Friday night. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Saturday confirmed that the blast occurred while a specialised team was handling a large, unstable cache of explosives seized recently in a major terror module investigation — firmly ruling out any terror attack.
According to Prabhat, the explosion took place around 11:20 pm during the extraction of forensic samples from nearly 360 kg of explosive material recovered earlier from Faridabad, Haryana. The seized substances included ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sulphur and other chemicals linked to a “white-collar” terror module exposed under FIR No. 162/2025.
Three members of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), two crime photographers, two revenue officials, one State Investigation Agency (SIA) official, and a tailor assisting the team were among the dead. Twenty-seven police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians from nearby areas suffered injuries and were rushed to hospitals.
The DGP said the task of sampling had been underway for two days with extreme caution, given the “sensitive and unstable nature” of the recovered chemicals. Small successive explosions that followed the main blast also disrupted early rescue efforts. The police station building suffered massive damage, and neighbouring structures were impacted as well.
The explosives had been recovered on November 9 and 10 from the rented accommodation of accused Dr Muzzamil Ganaie in Faridabad, following the unravelling of an elaborate terror network allegedly operated by a core group of radicalised doctors and associates.
The investigation began in mid-October after threatening posters targeting security forces surfaced in Bunpora, Nowgam. CCTV analysis led to the arrest of three men — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid — whose interrogation exposed the wider network. Subsequent arrests included Maulvi Irfan Ahmad and doctors linked to Al Falah University, such as Dr Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed.
Probes suggest the module was chiefly run by three medical professionals — Dr Ganaie, Umar Nabi (driver of the explosives-laden car that detonated near Red Fort on November 10, killing 13 people), and absconding suspect Muzzaffar Rather. The eighth arrested individual, Dr Adeel Rather, is still under scrutiny.
