MHA rules out terror angle, says Nowgam police station blast was accident
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "MHA rules out terror angle, says Nowgam police station blast was accident")
Ambulances at the spot after the accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar. Photograph: (PTI)
One personnel of the State Investigation Agency, 3 personnel of the FSL team, 2 crime scene photographers, 2 revenue officials from the Magistrate’s team, and one tailor associated with the team were among the deceased, said Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said on Saturday that the explosion at the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar was an ‘accident’ that occurred during the handling of explosive material seized during the investigation of the ‘white-collar terror module’ bust. Prashant Lokhande, Joint Secretary in the MHA’s J&K Division, said, “Yesterday, on 14th November at 11.20 pm, in an unfortunate accidental incident, a massive explosion took place inside the Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir.” The incident took place when police personnel were processing the evidence linked to FIR 162 of 2025, in which “the Nowgam police cracked the case of a terror module” and recovered a “huge cache of explosive substances and chemicals.”
“The recovered explosives were kept securely in an open area of the Nowgam police station and, as part of the standard procedure, forwarded for forensic and chemical examination,” he explained in a press briefing.
The procedure had been ongoing for the last two days due to the voluminous nature of the recovery.
Lokhande said the explosives were of an “unstable and sensitive nature” and were therefore being handled “very carefully under the expert supervision” of personnel trained for the task. Despite the precautions, Lokhande said, “during the process, an accidental explosion took place at about 11.20 pm yesterday night.”
Sharing the casualty details, he said, “In this unfortunate accidental incident, 9 people have lost their lives, whereas 27 police personnel, 2 revenue officials, and 3 civilians have received injuries.” The injured were immediately shifted to the hospital, and the police station building “has received severe damages,” he said.
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Lokhande added that the cause of the explosion was under investigation. “The cause of the incident is being investigated, however, any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary. The government stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased,” he added.
Explosion linked to Faridabad seizure: J&K DGP
J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat said the explosive material being sampled had been recovered from Faridabad on November 9 and 10. It was part of the large seizure made during the unravelling of the terror module connected to Al Falah University.
He added that the blast caused extensive damage to the police station building and impacted nearby structures.
One personnel of SIA, 3 personnel of the FSL team, 2 crime scene photographers, 2 revenue officials from the Magistrate’s team, and one tailor associated with the team were among the deceased, the DGP added.
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reached the damaged site on Thursday morning to collect additional samples.
WATCH: DG Prabhat: Blast occurred when explosives were being sampled
