SRINAGAR: A devastating blast at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar has resulted in the deaths of eight individuals and injuries to 27 others, primarily law enforcement officers and forensic experts, as authorities processed hazardous materials linked to a suspected terrorist operation.
The incident unfolded late on Friday evening during routine handling procedures, officials reported on Saturday. The explosives involved had been transported from Faridabad in Haryana, where police had earlier uncovered a substantial 360-kilogram stockpile from the leased home of a suspect, identified as Dr. Muzammil Ganaie. This material was undergoing sampling for evidentiary purposes in an active investigation.
Rescue teams recovered six bodies from the debris initially, with identification efforts ongoing. The remains were shifted to the Police Control Room in Srinagar for further processing. Among the wounded, 24 were police officers and three civilians, all receiving treatment at local medical facilities following the chaos.
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The force of the detonation shattered the station’s structure and triggered minor secondary blasts, complicating swift intervention by the bomb disposal unit. While a portion of the seized explosives remained secured at the police’s forensic laboratory, the bulk—central to the case—was housed at Nowgam, the site of the primary investigation.
The probe traces back to mid-October, when threatening posters targeting police and security personnel surfaced on walls in the Bunpora area of Nowgam. In response, Srinagar police filed a case on October 19 and assembled a specialized task force. Detailed review of surveillance footage pinpointed three initial suspects—Arif Nisar Dar (also known as Sahil), Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar (alias Shahid)—all previously implicated in stone-pelting incidents. Their questioning uncovered Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic from Shopian now serving as an imam, who allegedly provided the posters and influenced medical professionals toward radicalization.
Further leads directed investigators to Al Falah University in Faridabad, yielding the arrests of Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr. Shaheen Sayeed, alongside the explosives haul comprising ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulfur. Authorities suspect a key group of three physicians orchestrated the network: Ganaie (in custody), Umar Nabi (whose explosive-laden vehicle detonated near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10), and Muzzaffar Rather (fugitive). The eighth detainee, Dr. Adeel Rather—brother of the wanted man—from whom an AK-56 rifle was recovered, faces continued scrutiny.
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