Nine Dead, 29 Injured in Accidental Blast at Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar

Tragic Explosion Rocks Nowgam Police Station

A powerful explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on the night of Friday, November 14, 2025, claiming the lives of nine individuals and leaving 29 others injured. The incident, which occurred around 11:20 PM, was officially termed an 'accidental explosion' by authorities.

The blast caused extensive damage to the police station building and affected adjacent structures, with the sound reportedly heard several kilometers away. Rescue operations were initially hampered by smaller, successive explosions following the main detonation.

Confiscated Explosives Detonate During Examination

The explosion was triggered by the detonation of a substantial cache of confiscated explosive material, estimated to be around 360 kilograms, which included substances like ammonium nitrate. This material had been seized from Faridabad, Haryana, as part of an ongoing investigation into a 'white-collar' terror module. The incident took place while a team comprising police personnel, forensic experts, and revenue officials was in the process of extracting samples from the highly unstable and sensitive explosives.

Casualties Include Officials and Civilians

Among the nine fatalities were several officials involved in the examination process. The deceased include:

• An Inspector from the State Investigation Agency (SIA)
• Three personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team
• Two crime scene photographers
• Two revenue officials, including a Naib Tehsildar
• A local tailor who was associated with the team

The majority of the injured were police personnel, who were rushed to the Army's 92 Base Hospital and other medical facilities in the city. Officials warned that the death toll could potentially rise due to the critical condition of some of the injured.

Investigation Underway, Terror Link Explored

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat confirmed the blast was accidental, stating, 'Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary.' He emphasized that the sampling process was being conducted with 'utmost caution' due to the volatile nature of the materials. The explosives were brought to Nowgam because the primary case related to the terror module was registered there.

The terror module itself came to light after threatening posters targeting security forces appeared in the Bunpora, Nowgam area in mid-October, leading to a police investigation that uncovered the network and the cache of explosives. This incident follows closely on the heels of a deadly car explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi earlier in the week, with the confiscated explosives believed to be linked to the same terror module.