SRINAGAR: The Government of India on Saturday responded to the accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station, with Joint Secretary (Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh) Prashant Lokhande confirming that the blast occurred during the handling of explosives seized in a terror-related probe. Lokhande provided details during a press briefing in New Delhi.
According to Lokhande, the explosion took place at 11:20 pm on November 14, when a sudden detonation ripped through the police station. He explained that Nowgam Police had recently dismantled a terror module following leads from posters in the area, resulting in the recovery of a significant quantity of explosive materials and chemicals.
The seized explosives were stored in an open section of the police station and were being processed and sent for forensic and chemical analysis in accordance with standard operating procedures. Given the volume of the recovered material, multiple agencies had been jointly managing it over the past two days under a coordinated and technical approach. Lokhande emphasised that the material was “unstable and sensitive” and was being handled under expert supervision.
During this procedure, an accidental detonation occurred, claiming nine lives. Twenty-seven police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians sustained injuries and were promptly transferred to hospitals.
Lokhande noted that the blast caused extensive damage to the police station, with several nearby structures also affected due to the force of the explosion.
He added that further updates would be issued as the investigation into the incident continues.
