Wake-up call for Centre to strengthen intelligence: Kharge on Nowgam blast

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Srinagar blast is a wake-up call for the Central Government to strengthen Intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms and it cannot run away from accountability.

He also demanded an urgent all-party meeting to discuss the “growing threat” of terrorism that continues to receive support from external forces.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed concern over the blast and paid tributes to the deceased, while hoping for the early recovery of the injured.

In an X post, Kharge expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the accidental blast at Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir and called for urgent medical attention to the injured and compensation to them and the next of kin of the deceased.

“It is extremely disconcerting and sad to know that nine precious lives have been lost and 24 people have been injured in a blast at a police station in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir...My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. The injured must be treated with prompt medical supervision and adequate compensation must be provided to the victims,” Kharge said.

He said these developments come days after the cowardly car blast terror attack near Red Fort in Delhi, and “is a wake-up call for the Union government to strengthen Intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms. It cannot run away from accountability.”       The Indian National Congress stands with the nation against the scourge of terrorism, the party chief asserted.

“In light of the recent Red Fort terror attack, there is an urgent need to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism, which continues to receive backing and support from external forces,” he said in the post.

In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said the Naugam incident is “extremely heartbreaking and concerning”.

“Reports indicate that this horrific accident occurred during the investigation of explosives linked to the Red Fort attack.

“I pay humble tribute to the martyrs and hope for the swift recovery of the injured,” he said.

The accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station here, killing nine people and injuring 32, according to Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Nalin Prabhat, who ruled out any sabotage angle.

He said the blast occurred on Friday night when a specialised team was extracting samples from a large and “unstable” cache of explosives confiscated from Haryana’s Faridabad district in connection with the ongoing investigation into a “white collar terror module”.