Explainer: How seized explosives are handled

The recent “accidental” explosion in which nine people were killed at the Nowgam police station in Kashmir has raised serious concerns about how safely the seized explosives are stored by the security forces, especially the police.

Police officials in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab say there are standard operating procedures (SOPs) for storing and handling such material. The issue, however, remains in sharp focus in Kashmir, where explosives are frequently recovered. In Punjab, recoveries have dropped sharply since the end of terrorism. “Less than 10 kg of RDX has been seized this year while being smuggled into Punjab from across the border,” an official revealed.

Process in Punjab

During the militancy period, all recovered explosives were transferred to the Punjab Armed Police campus in Jalandhar, where the bomb disposal squad oversaw their safekeep.

“Currently, small quantities of RDX recovered in border districts are kept at the police stations concerned or in the malkhanas (store rooms) of the courts, where they are held as case property,” an official said.

In Punjab, the basic SOP mandates that detonators, wires, and mechanical components be stored separately from explosives or combustible materials. “These are usually kept in basements, wherever available, and secured with gunny bags. Fire extinguishers are maintained and inspected regularly. Still, accidents can happen,” a senior police officer admitted.

The risks involved

The biggest risk, officers say, is fire. “Even Army ammunition depots have caught fire several times across the country. Nothing is foolproof,” an officer said. “In Punjab, since the quantity of explosives stored in police stations is minimal, the threat level remains low.”

Officials in J&K say that any recovery made during an investigation — whether documents, drugs, arms, or explosives — is kept in the custody of the investigating police station. Each police station maintains a malkhana where seized items are properly catalogued.

Police procedurals

If required, the recovered material is sent for forensic examination, and the reports are attached to the case files to strengthen prosecution. Samples for forensic analysis must be extracted in the presence of a magistrate and an independent witness.

Once the sampling is complete, the police must approach the courts to determine what to do with the recovered material. After the challan is filed, the case property is transferred from the police malkhana to the court’s malkhana.

In the case of explosives, if an officer deems the material is too dangerous or volatile, it may be destroyed under controlled conditions — but only after seeking court permission. “The court usually grants permission quickly in such cases,” a J&K Police official said. SOPs require sampling of explosives within 24 hours, in the interest of public safety.

The Nowgam incident

Officials said the sampling of the seized explosives was still underway when the blast occurred, making a controlled detonation impossible at that stage. Earlier this month, after the J&K Police busted a “white collar terror” module in Faridabad and recovered explosives and related material, the evidence was brought from Haryana to the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, where the case had been registered.

Around 11.22 pm last Friday, as a forensic team and the State Investigation Agency (SIA) were collecting samples, an explosion occurred. The J&K Police and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs later termed it an “accidental detonation”. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who heads the UT’s Home Department, has ordered a probe. Central agencies have collected samples to determine the composition of the explosives.

Why the lapses

Former officials and politicians in the Valley have demanded accountability. “Given the unstable nature of the material, it was being handled with utmost caution,” said J&K Police chief Nalin Prabhat after the blast. However, some former forensic experts have claimed mishandling could have caused the explosion. “No senior ballistic expert was present when highly volatile samples were being extracted,” said a former official. “Whether the SOPs were followed or not is something a detailed investigation must establish.”