Nowgam Police Station blast accidental, says DGP Nalin Prabhat
Srinagar, Nov 15: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Saturday said that the devastating explosion at Nowgam Police Station was an “accidental blast” that occurred during the handling of a large cache of explosives recently recovered from Faridabad.
He urged people to avoid unnecessary speculation regarding the cause of the incident.
Addressing a press briefing at PCR Kashmir, the DGP, said the explosives, chemicals and reagents had been seized during the investigation of FIR No. 162/2025 of Police Station Nowgam.
“A huge cache of explosive substances was recovered from Faridabad on November 9 and 10, 2025. The material was transported to Srinagar and kept securely in the open area of the police station,” he said.
He said that, as per procedure, samples from the recovery had to be sent for detailed forensic and chemical examination.
“Because of the volume, the FSL team had been working on the sampling process for the past two days. Given the unstable and sensitive nature of the material, it was being handled with utmost caution,” he added.
However, during the process, an accidental explosion took place at around 11:20 pm on Friday night.
“Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” he said.
Providing casualty details, Prabhat said nine people lost their lives, including one SIA official, three FSL personnel, two photographers, two revenue officials and a tailor associated with the team.
He said 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians were injured and were immediately shifted to hospitals.
The blast caused extensive damage to the Nowgam Police Station building and also affected nearby structures.
“The extent of the damage is being ascertained,” he said.
The DGP said a detailed inquiry is underway to establish the precise sequence of events and technical reasons behind the explosion.
“J&K Police stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased in this hour of grief,” he said. (KDC)
