Nine people were killed and dozens more injured on Friday night as an explosion rocked Nowgam police station in Kashmir. The blast also destroyed copious amounts of evidence related to the ongoing Red Fort terror investigation. The ‘white-collar’ terror module case had first come to light after a somewhat unrelated FIR was filed at Nowgam in mid-October. The site close to Srinagar was also being used to store explosives seized earlier this month from the Faridabad terror module.
According to an ABP report, much of the critical evidence needed for the Delhi blast probe was destroyed during the explosion on Friday night. The blast was reportedly triggered by a “hidden detonator” or “live fuse” that had gone unnoticed while authorities extracted samples from the recently seized cache of explosives. Sources also told the publication that IEDs and grenades stored in the police station had also exploded during the chaos.
A top official from the Jammu and Kashmir Home Ministry explained earlier on Saturday that it had been an “accidental explosion” while chemical and explosive samples were being forwarded for additional scrutiny. A senior official however refused to rule out the possible involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed elements while sharing details with ABP News. Security agencies have reportedly also not ruled out the involvement of JeM proxy organisation People’s Anti-Fascist Front.
The massive blast took place close to midnight and caused significant damage to the police station building. Small successive explosions prevented immediate rescue operations by the bomb disposal squad. While some of the explosives recovered have been kept at police Forensic Lab, the major part of the 360 kg of explosives was stored at the police station. The primary case for the terror module was registered at the Nowgam police station.
How is Nowgam linked to Red Fort blast?
Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar has become embroiled in the ‘white-collar’ terror module case after an FIR was registered over objectionable posters in the area. Posters threatening police and security forces had appeared on walls in mid-October. The Srinagar Police had subsequently registered a case and formed a dedicated team to find the miscreants.
Frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage had helped them to identify the first three suspects — arrested Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid. The trio (who already had cases of stone pelting registered against them) were seen pasting the posters. Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad — a former paramedic turned Imam (preacher) from Shopian who supplied the posters. He is also believed to have radicalised several doctors using his easy access to the medical community.
The trail ultimately led the Srinagar police to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where they arrested Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed. It was here that the massive cache of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur, was seized.
