Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir DGP, Nalin Prabhat said on Saturday that the explosion inside the Nowgam police station was unfortunate and dismissing any ‘terror link’ said that other theories into the cause of this unfortunate incident were just ‘unnecessary speculation’.
The DGP told a press conference here at the Police Control Room (PCR), “A huge quantity of explosive material from Faridabad was brought to Nowgam Police Station and kept securely in open space.
“Due to the voluminous nature of the recovery, the sampling process of the explosive material was taking place for the last two days, yesterday and the day before, for forwarding the samples for further forensic and chemical examination.
“Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the explosive material, handing was being done with extreme caution.
“Unfortunately around 11.20 pm on Friday, there was accidental explosion of the seized material.
“Any other further speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary. In this unfortunate incident, nine people have lost their lives. One personnel of the Special Investigation Agency, two revenue officers, three personnel of FLS team, two crime branch photographers and a tailor have lost their lives.
“The police station building was severely damaged and adjacent buildings were also affected. The cause for this unfortunate incident is unclear right now. Police stands firmly with the families of the deceased.”
The DGP did not take any questions during the press conference.
The injured have been shifted to the Army’s base hospital in Badami Bagh area and the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKICC) Soura for treatment.
Earlier on Saturday morning, DGP Nalin Prabhat accompanied by senior police officers went to Nowgam Police Station for an on-spot assessment of the situation.
The blast that occurred inside Nowgam Police Station was so massive that it shattered the glass of buildings around it and the sound of the blast was heard in areas 5-10 Kms away from Nowgam area.
A number of vehicles parked inside the police station caught fire due to the massive explosion and fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames.
Ambulances rushed to the police station to evacuate the injured policemen to the hospital.
It must be mentioned that 2,900 Kg ammonium nitrate was recovered by J&K Police when it busted the white collar terror module in Faridabad in coordination with the Haryana Police.
During the raid on Dr. Muzammil Ganaie in Faridabad, 360 Kg of the same explosive material was recovered.
While Dr. Adil Rather and Dr Muzammil Ganaie were arrested, third terror accomplice, Dr Umar Nabi had evaded arrest. He was later killed in a car blast near the Red Fort, in which several civilians were killed and many others were injured.
A lady doctor from Lucknow, Shaheen Shahid was also arrested after an assault rifle was recovered from her car.
The arrest of two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit led to the busting of the terror module.
An outfit of the JeM calling itself the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) has owned responsibility for the blast, but this has been categorically dismissed by the DGP.
(IANS)
