Srinagar, Nov 15: The Government of India on Friday issued official reaction to the accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station, with Joint Secretary (JK and Ladakh) Prashant Lokhande confirming that the explosion occurred during the handling of seized explosives recovered in a terror-related investigation. Lokhande gave the detailed account during a press briefing in New Delhi.
Lokhande, according to news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) said, the incident took place at 11:20 pm on November 14, when a sudden explosion tore through the police station. He said Nowgam Police had recently busted a terror module after leads emerged from a poster, which led to the recovery of a large quantity of explosive substances and chemicals.
The seized material had been kept in the open area of the police station and was being processed and forwarded for forensic and chemical examination as per standard operating procedures. Due to the volume of the recovery, multiple agencies had been handling it for the last two days in a coordinated and scientific manner. Lokhande said the material was “unstable and sensitive” and was being handled under expert supervision.
However, during this ongoing procedure, an accidental explosion occurred, resulting in nine deaths. Twenty-seven police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians were injured and immediately shifted to hospitals.
Lokhande said the blast caused severe damage to the police station building, while several surrounding structures also suffered impact due to the intensity of the explosion.
He added that further updates would be provided as the investigation into the incident progresses. (KDC)
