Officials concede unsafe handling by Indian agencies caused Nowgam blast
Srinagar: The catastrophic explosion at the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, on late Friday night, has been attributed by Indian officials themselves to a forensic handling error not a terrorist incident, in a development that lays bare the inexperienced and unsafe procedures employed during the sensitive operation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, officials in Srinagar and New Delhi confirmed that the blast—initially marred by speculation-was caused not by any hostile act but by excessive lighting used by the forensic team while examining volatile chemicals at around 11:20 pm. The materials had reportedly been transported from Al-Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, to Nowgam for registration and sampling.
Teams from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and experts of the National Security Guard (NSG) visited the site to collect samples following the tragedy.
According to officials, the last boxes being examined contained a liquid mixture believed to include Acetophenone, Hydrogen Peroxide and Sulphuric Acid. In an attempt to enhance visibility, technicians increased the lighting intensity, inadvertently exposing the unstable mixture to external heat sources. This, combined with fumes from the sulphuric acid, is suspected to have triggered the premature detonation.
The Indian authorities’ own account suggests that the tragedy resulted from mishandling during sampling, contradicting repeated claims of “extreme caution” issued in identical statements Saturday by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat and Joint Secretary (Kashmir) Prashant Lokhande.
Both officials maintained the blast was accidental and not a terror attack but admitted that “during the sampling process… an accidental explosion took place,” despite asserting that the team was handling the material “with utmost caution.”
