Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Nov 15: The grim aftermath of Friday night’s powerful explosion inside Nowgam Police Station unfolded on Saturday morning, as the area remained sealed off with investigators combing through mangled debris and twisted metal.
The blast, which officials said was caused by the “accidental detonation” of seized explosives, claimed nine lives and left at least 32 others injured.
On-ground visuals showed widespread devastation, charred vehicles, shattered walls, broken windowpanes and roofs ripped apart by the blast wave.
Piles of concrete chunks, twisted tin sheets and scattered belongings, including burnt documents and torn shoes, lay strewn around the compound as shown in videos.
Locals said the force of the explosion was so intense that it sent debris flying several hundred meters away from the police station. Eyewitnesses from nearby localities said fragments of the blast reached areas close to the main Nowgam bridge, nearly 500–600 meters from the police station.
“We saw blood marks and debris even near the bridge walls,” said a resident, pointing to stains that locals believe were from those caught in the blast’s impact radius.
Throughout Saturday, all approach lanes and inner bylanes leading to the Nowgam Police Station remained sealed. Police and security forces erected multiple barricades, with media personnel and civilians stopped at a considerable distance.
Only forensic experts and senior officers were allowed inside the restricted zone, as the search for evidence and possible traces of explosives continued.
“The whole area is under technical examination. Entry has been prohibited for safety reasons,” an officer monitoring the entry said. The footage and spot visuals show that several vehicles, including motorbikes and cars parked in and around the police station, were completely gutted.
A water storage tank within the premises was ripped open, while parts of the boundary wall were blown off, exposing the inner compound. The windows and glasses of the nearby houses also got broken with the impact of the explosion.
A resident living across the road described the terrifying moments of the blast: “We thought it was an earthquake. Our walls shook violently and windows rattled. The sound was deafening as it felt like the ground was lifted for a moment,” he said.
The explosion, which occurred around 11:20 pm on Friday, was heard several kilometres away, jolting residents awake across Nowgam, Natipora, Lal Chowk, Barzullla and adjacent localities.
By morning, top officials, including DGP J&K Nalin Prabhat, IGP Kashmir VK Birdi, and IG CRPF Pawan Kumar and other senior officials visited the spot to take stock of the situation firsthand and oversee the ongoing investigation.
The officials have launched a detailed probe into the cause of the detonation and handling of the recovered material. The area will remain sealed until forensic and technical teams complete their examination.
