A major explosion occurred after a large quantity of ammonium nitrate seized by the Jammu and Kashmir Police reportedly detonated during an inspection at the Nowgam Police Station in south Srinagar. The blast took place while a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), accompanied by police personnel, was examining the confiscated material.
The police station suffered extensive damage in the incident. Officials said casualties were “feared” and confirmed that the injured had been moved to a nearby hospital. Senior officers rushed to the site, and the entire area has since been sealed off.
Residents across south Srinagar reported a powerful tremor as the explosion tore through the Nowgam police complex. A massive fire erupted moments later, sending flames high into the night sky and illuminating surrounding neighbourhoods.
Initial assessments indicate widespread destruction inside the compound. Several vehicles were found burning, and major portions of the building were left severely damaged. “Massive damage has been reported, but the full extent is still being assessed,” officials said.
CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts show the blast ripping through the station in the early hours between Friday night and Saturday, engulfing the premises in smoke and fire.
The ammonium nitrate had been brought from Faridabad, where it was seized from the rented accommodation of Dr Muzammil Ganaie. PTI quoted officials as saying that the blast occurred as samples of the explosive material were being collected. In total, around 360 kg of the substance had been transported to Kashmir for analysis.
Dr Ganaie, also known as Musaib, a native of Koil in Pulwama, was arrested earlier this month in a joint operation by the Haryana Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police. He had been working as a doctor at Al-Falah University, which also houses a hospital. Investigators said his behaviour had appeared suspicious, prompting the Nowgam police to seek assistance from the Faridabad Crime Branch to detain him.
The Nowgam police station has been handling a high-profile investigation into an inter-state terror module linked to the recent blast in Delhi and another module based in Faridabad. The first FIR in this case was lodged in Nowgam, and officers there had also uncovered the module behind Jaish-e-Mohammed posters found across the area. According to officials, these posters led them to “a radicalised group of highly educated individuals, including doctors”.
Eight people, among them three medical professionals, have so far been arrested in the wider case. Prior to the ammonium nitrate seizure, police had busted a terror module and recovered 2,900 kg of explosives along with a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
The explosion in Nowgam comes just days after a powerful blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 13 people and injured many more. The government has condemned the Delhi incident as “a heinous terror attack” and directed security agencies to pursue the investigation with “the utmost urgency and professionalism”.
