Srinagar: Nine people lost their lives in a tragic explosion at the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar late Friday. Officials described the incident as accidental, occurring while forensic teams were extracting samples from explosives recovered earlier in a crackdown on a terror module in Faridabad, Haryana.

Among the deceased were a State Investigating Agency (SIA) personnel, three Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team members, two crime scene photographers, two revenue officials accompanying the magistrate’s team, and one tailor associated with the group, Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Nalin Prabhat confirmed.

Why were the explosives seized from Faridabad in J&K?

The explosives recovered in Faridabad were transported to Nowgam because the original case was registered at the Nowgam police station. Authorities stated that the materials were part of the case property, necessitating their transfer to J&K for forensic analysis. The cache was part of a larger 2,900-kilogram haul seized in raids targeting a ‘white-collar’ terror module connected to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH).

Connection to Delhi Red Fort blast

The explosives are believed to be linked to the 10/11 Red Fort blast in Delhi, which killed at least 10 people. Posters found at the Red Fort warned of a “spectacular attack,” prompting investigations that led police to the Faridabad-based terror module. Nearly 3,000 kg of explosives, chemicals, and detonators were seized from two villages in Faridabad during these operations.