Nowgam Blast: Police reject Pak-based terror link, say accidental detonation during forensic sampling killed 9

Srinagar, Nov 15: Nine people were killed and 32 injured when an accidental explosion tore through Nowgam police station late Friday, prompting the Jammu & Kashmir Police to firmly deny online claims from Pakistan-based militant outfits that sought to link themselves to the incident.
Police said the blast occurred during the extraction of samples from a cache of explosives seized earlier in Faridabad as part of a probe into an inter-State terror module. The material, described as highly volatile, was being prepared for forensic examination when it detonated.
DGP Nalin Prabhat said the operation was being conducted “with extreme caution” due to the unstable nature of the confiscated explosives. “Despite all precautions, an accidental blast occurred last night,” he stated, adding that assertions by groups such as the PAFF—an online proxy associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad—were “baseless and mischievous.”
Emergency teams rushed to the spot soon after the explosion, as firefighters battled the blaze and rescuers evacuated the injured. The wounded were shifted to multiple hospitals across Srinagar, where several remain under treatment.
Investigators are assessing the damage at the police facility and reviewing the handling procedures followed during the sampling exercise. Senior officers said an internal inquiry is underway to determine what triggered the sudden detonation.
Authorities have urged the public to disregard speculative posts circulating on social media, stressing that the blast was linked solely to the examination of previously recovered explosives and not to any external attack. The police station remained cordoned off through Saturday as forensic teams continued their inspection of the site.