Police probing multiple angles; seized explosives were ‘unstable and volatile’

The forensic teams were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives confiscated from the recently busted “white-collar terror module” and preparing to send them to different laboratories for further investigation when a massive blast occurred late Friday night at the Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Nine persons were killed and 32 others injured in the explosion, which severely damaged the police station building and affected several nearby structures.

A senior official from the Jammu and Kashmir Forensic Science Laboratory (JKFSL) said the teams had been conducting sampling of the seized explosives for the second consecutive day when the incident occurred. Among the dead were three FSL personnel, including a lab assistant. Officials said they have not yet reached any conclusion about what triggered the explosion. The JKFSL official maintained that the teams, all experts in handling explosives, had been carrying out the process with utmost care. He said it was “highly unlikely” that any mishandling occurred during the sampling, though the probe would determine the exact cause.

Police sources said they are investigating multiple angles. A senior police officer said the “accidental” explosion might have been caused by the “volatile” nature of the seized material. “The terror module members had collected and prepared the explosives for months. The nature of the seized material was very unstable and volatile,” he added.

During the busting of the module, J&K Police had seized 358 kg of ammonium nitrate and another 2,563 kg of material used to manufacture explosives during raids conducted in Haryana.

Police officers said Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are already in place for handling explosives. The seized material was stored in an open area inside the police station premises after being transported from Haryana to Srinagar, they said.

On Saturday, National Conference Chanapora MLA Mushtaq Guroo claimed that lapses had occurred at several stages. He said one of the major shortcomings was storing the seized explosive material close to residential areas instead of isolating it for sampling and inspection. “I think this was a big mistake,” he said.

DGP Nalin Prabhat on Saturday said the recovery was already being handled with extreme caution. “Owing to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery, it was being handled with utmost caution. However, an accidental explosion took place,” he said.