- The blast at Nowgam police station in Srinagar has killed nine people, including key officials
- A huge quantity of ammonium nitrate had exploded during evidence collection at the police station
- The explosion has destroyed evidence from a major terror case involving radicalised doctors
The massive blast inside a police station Nowgam in Srinagar has turned one of the major victories against terrorism into a tragedy. Nine persons, including an ace police investigator and a magistrate, were killed in the explosion that took place late last evening. Today, thousands turned up to attend the last rites of the policemen and the magistrate in different parts of Kashmir.
While the police have emphatically ruled out any subversion in the accidental explosion, a probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause behind the earthshaking blast.
Sources say over 350 kg of the explosive ammonium nitrate was kept inside a room where investigators and forensic experts were collecting samples in presence of a magistrate.
The magistrate, a Naib Tehsildar and key investigator, Inspector Shah Asrar, were too close to the explosives when it went off.
The explosion has not only destroyed evidence about the explosives seized from radicalised doctors in Faridabad, Haryana, it has also killed the key investigators.
It has also completely destroyed the very police station which detected the white collar terror plot.
It was the Nowgam police station which unraveled a Jaish-e-Mohammad plot last month. It eventually led to the arrest of several doctors, including key accused Dr Adeel and Dr Muzamil.
On basis of their confession, the police had initially recovered more than 360 kg of ammunition nitrate and eventually, the massive 2900 kg haul from Faridabad.
The fallout of the Faridabad explosives haul was Sunday's blast near Delhi's Red Fort. Investigators are now saying that the driver of the i20 had panicked and detonated the blast after the seizure of the huge stash.
Given the magnitude of the terror conspiracy, investigation was subsequently handed over to the National Investigation Agency.
Samples of the seized explosive material were transported all the way from Faridabad to Srinagar safely.
While an investigation ordered by the government is expected to ascertain the cause behind the explosion, no one inside the room where the explosion took place have survived.
The explosion shook the Srinagar city and the blast could be heard from places 30 km away. The police station has literally been reduced to rubble. Dozens of adjacent houses have also been damaged.
The police and the families had a tough time identifying the bodies.
