9 killed as seized terror module cache explodes

9 killed as seized terror module cache explodes

The blast occurred ‘accidentally’ on Nowgam police station premises in Srinagar when a team was checking the explosives seized in the inter-State terror module case linked to Delhi car blast.

An accidental explosion at Nowgam police station in Srinagar killed nine persons and left 32 injured on Friday night, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said.

The explosion occurred when a team of officials was handling explosive substances stored in an open area at the police station premises, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said on Saturday. The explosives were seized from Faridabad in Haryana on November 9 and 10 during the J&K Police’s ongoing investigation into a “white collar” inter-State terror module, he added. The module was found to be linked to the November 10 Delhi car blast.

However, the police ruled out any terror angle in Friday’s incident. Mr. Prabhat said the explosion was caused “accidentally” and “any other speculation” was unnecessary.

Among those killed were three forensic team members, two revenue officials, two crime photographers and a police official of the State Investigation Agency (SIA), all of whom were part of a magistrate’s team.

Twenty-seven police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians sustained injuries and were undergoing treatment.

The DGP said nearby buildings were also severely damaged. “The extent of damage is being ascertained,” he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh for the family of each of the deceased and ₹1 lakh for the severely injured.

Delhi car blast link

In the terror module case, three doctors were arrested between October 30 and November 8. The case was later found to be intrinsically linked to the Delhi car blast, as the person at the wheel of the car that blew up near the Red Fort was identified as Umar ul Nabi, a doctor and associate of two of the three arrested doctors — Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Adeel Ahmad Rather. All three are from south Kashmir.

The third arrested doctor, Shaheen Saeed, is from Lucknow and used to work at Al Falah University in Faridabad, where Dr. Ganaie and Dr. Nabi also worked. Dr. Rather was arrested from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha visited the injured in the hospital and said, “The government stands in solidarity with the families, friends, and loved ones of the departed. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. I have ordered a probe to ascertain the cause of the accidental explosion”.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also extended his “heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families”.