Explosives collected from Red Fort blast module detonate in J&K police station; 9 killed, 27 hurt

Srinagar: Even as a high alert has been sounded across India following the blast that killed 13 people in Delhi, an accidental explosion occurred at the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday night. According to officials, nine people — including police personnel and forensic experts — were killed and 27 others injured in the incident.

The blast occurred while personnel were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives recently seized in connection with the “white-collar” terror module case, officials said on Saturday.

The explosive material — part of the 360 kg recovered from the rented residence of arrested doctor Muzammil Ganaie in Haryana’s Faridabad — was being handled as part of the ongoing investigation, PTI reported.

Officials said six bodies have been retrieved from the site, though the identities of the deceased are yet to be confirmed. The bodies have been taken to the Police Control Room in Srinagar. At least 24 police personnel and three civilians were admitted to various hospitals with severe injuries.

The massive explosion shattered the night's quiet, damaging the police station. Successive, minor explosions delayed the immediate entry of the bomb disposal squad and hampered rescue efforts.

While some of the seized explosives had been moved to the police forensic lab, the bulk of the 360 kg cache was stored at the Nowgam police station, where the primary case related to the terror module was registered.

The investigation into the module began after posters threatening police and security forces were found pasted on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October. Treating the incident as a serious threat, Srinagar Police registered a case on October 19 and formed a dedicated team.

A meticulous, frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage led investigators to three initial suspects — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid — all of whom had previous cases of stone pelting against them. They were identified as the individuals who pasted the posters.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam from Shopian, who supplied the posters and is believed to have radicalised the doctors involved due to his access to the medical community.

The trail eventually took investigators to Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where they arrested Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed. It was there that the massive cache of chemicals — including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur — was seized.

Investigators believe the module was primarily operated by three doctors - Dr Muzammil Ganaie (arrested), Umar Nabi (who drove the explosive-laden car that detonated near the Red Fort on November 10)

 and Dr Muzzaffar Rather (absconding).

The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather — brother of the absconding Dr Muzzaffar Rather — from whom an AK-56 rifle was seized, remains under investigation.