Nowgam Police Station blast was an ‘accidental incident,’ says MHA; 9 dead, 32 injured

Hours after a massive late-night explosion destroyed Srinagar’s Nowgam Police Station, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday termed the tragedy as an “unfortunate accidental incident”. Jammu and Kashmir Division (MHA) Joint Secretary Prashant Lokhande, in his official statement, stated that the explosion took place at the police station at 23.20 on November 14.

Nowgam Police recently cracked a terror module based on clues obtained from a suspicious poster, the official revealed. “During the investigation in FIR No. 162/2025, the authorities seized a large quantity of explosives and chemicals which were stored in the open area of ​​the police station as per procedure.”

Lokhande said the agencies involved in the investigation over the last two days processed and forwarded the recovered material for forensic and chemical examination, following standard operating protocols.

He also said, “Due to the volatile and sensitive nature of the seized explosives, experts were constantly monitoring the handling process.”

However, on Friday night, the Joint Secretary said that a powerful accidental explosion occurred during this routine procedure, claiming the lives of nine people. Additionally, 27 police personnel, 2 revenue officers and 3 civilians were injured in the incident.

The official said that the injured were urgently taken to surrounding hospitals and treated.

He also mentioned that “the blast caused severe damage to the police station building and also impacted multiple surrounding structures”, and stressed that “the exact cause of the accidental detonation is under investigation and urged the public to refrain from unnecessary speculation.”

“The government stands in solidarity with the families of the dead in this painful hour and guarantees all possible support to the injured,” the official added.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)