Inside the Fatal Blast: How Terror Case Explosives Killed Nine in Srinagar

An accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station in Srinagar late on Friday night, killing at least nine people and injuring 27 others, officials said on Saturday.

The blast occurred while teams from the Jammu & Kashmir Police and forensic units were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives seized in the recently busted ‘white-collar’ terror module. The material was part of the 360 kg of explosives recovered from the rented residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie, officials added.

Most of the victims were policemen, forensic specialists and government personnel involved in the investigation. According to official sources, those killed included three Forensic Science Laboratory staff, two Revenue Department officials including a Naib Tehsildar, two police photographers, one member of the State Investigation Agency, and a tailor assisting the team.

Rescue efforts continued through the night, and eight bodies were initially retrieved, with the toll later confirmed as nine. The injured were rushed to various hospitals across Srinagar, where three remain in critical condition. Identification of the deceased is currently underway. The bodies have been shifted to the Police Control Room, Srinagar.

How the Conspiracy Unfolded

The Jammu & Kashmir Police had recently busted an inter-State terror network, seizing nearly 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, during coordinated raids across multiple States.

The accidental blast occurred amid an investigation that was first triggered in mid-October, when threatening posters targeting police and security personnel appeared on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam. Srinagar Police registered a case on October 19 and constituted a dedicated investigation team.

A meticulous frame-by-frame review of CCTV footage led officers to the first set of suspects:

• Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil

• Yasir-ul-Ashraf

• Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid

All three had prior stone-pelting cases and were caught on camera pasting the threatening posters.

Interrogation of the trio resulted in the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam from Shopian. Investigators believe he supplied the posters and played a key role in radicalising several of the doctors by leveraging his close connections within the medical fraternity.

Link to Faridabad and Arrest of Doctors

The probe soon extended beyond Kashmir. Evidence traced the module’s operations to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where two doctors —

• Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, and

• Dr Shaheen Sayeed —
  were arrested.

Searches led to the recovery of large quantities of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, forming part of the larger cache of nearly 2,900 kg seized during the multi-State raids.

The explosives that detonated inside the Nowgam police station on Friday night were part of the 360 kg recovered from the rented accommodation of Dr Muzammil Ganaie.

Key Accused and Widening Search

Investigators believe the module was being operated by a core trio of doctors:

• Dr Muzammil Ganaie – arrested

• Dr Umar Nabi – suspected to be the driver of the car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10

• Dr Muzzaffar Rather – currently absconding

The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather, brother of the absconding Muzzaffar Rather, is still being examined. An AK-56 rifle was recovered from his possession.

Meanwhile, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta expressed grief over the tragedy. “Deeply anguished by the tragic explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and prayers for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X.

The J&K police are conducting a detailed inquiry to determine the exact cause of the accidental detonation.

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