Srinagar, November — The Union home ministry on Saturday confirmed that the powerful explosion that tore through the Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir was accidental, occurring during the handling of explosive samples meant for forensic analysis.
According to officials, the explosives stored at the police station were part of a cache recovered from the Faridabad-based module of doctors linked to the Red Fort blast case. For the past two days, teams had been conducting sampling and documentation of the recovered materials, which had been transported from Faridabad and securely kept in an open area of the police station.
The blast, which occurred around 11:20 pm on Friday, resulted in the deaths of nine people and left 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians injured. The explosion caused extensive damage to the police station building and impacted several surrounding structures.
Briefing the media, Prashant Lokhande, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, said the Nowgam Police had recently cracked a terror module based on leads obtained from a poster during the investigation of FIR No. 162/2025. This probe led to the recovery of a large quantity of explosive substances and chemicals.
“The agencies involved were working in a coordinated and scientific manner. The recovery was being handled carefully under expert supervision,” Lokhande said.
He stressed that the explosion was “accidental”, triggered during the process of forwarding samples for forensic and chemical examination. “Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovered materials, the ongoing process required meticulous attention. Unfortunately, an accidental explosion occurred,” he added.
Authorities have launched a detailed investigation into the incident, but officials cautioned against speculation. “The cause of the accident is being investigated. However, any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” Lokhande said.
Rescue operations continued through the night as emergency teams worked to evacuate the injured and assess the structural damage. Further updates are awaited from the investigative agencies.
