Srinagar, Nov 15: The accidental explosion at Nowgam police station on the outskirts of Srinagar has shattered nine Kashmiri families, turning a routine evidence-handling exercise into one of the deadliest workplace tragedies in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
Nine people — including State Investigation Agency (SIA) Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah, five police personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Crime Branch, two revenue officials, and a local tailor who had gone to help — were killed when explosives stored at the station went off late Friday night.
The blast also left 32 others injured, among them 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians from the neighbouring area.
Among the dead was SIA Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah, a resident of Drugmulla in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Shah, who joined J&K Police in 2011, had earned a reputation among colleagues and neighbours as a quiet, diligent officer who rarely spoke about his work.
At his ancestral home in Drugmulla, a steady stream of mourners recited prayers and tried to console the family.
“He mainly focused on his work. He wouldn’t interfere in anything unnecessary,” said his neighbour, Ghulam Mohammad.
Shah is survived by his wife, two young children and elderly parents. Villagers remembered him as a patient listener who never flaunted his rank.
“He never misused his position. He was a humble human being first, and then an officer,” another local said. “The entire locality is in shock. It feels like we have lost one of our own sons.”
The blast also claimed key members of the FSL and Crime Branch teams, who had been at the Nowgam police station for two days handling explosive materials seized during a major ongoing investigation.
Those killed included Selection Grade Constables (SgCts) Javaid Mansoor Rather and Arshid Ahmad Shah, both photographers with the Crime Branch, responsible for documenting crucial evidence at crime scenes and during sensitive operations.
Colleagues said Javaid and Arshid had quietly built a reputation for precision behind the camera, their photographs often forming vital evidence in terror-related and criminal cases.
“They were always on call, always ready to move, whether it was a distant district or a late-night operation,” a senior officer said. “Their loss is personal for us, and a professional setback for the department.”
Also killed were SgCt Aijaz Afzal Mir and Constables Mohammad Amin Mir and Showkat Ahmad Bhat, all attached to the FSL. They were in the middle of the painstaking task of handling, sampling and cataloguing the explosives when tragedy struck.
“When everyone else steps back from danger, the FSL team steps forward,” a police official said. “They work silently, without recognition, but without them we can neither prove cases in court nor ensure seized explosives are rendered safe. They died doing the most dangerous part of the job.”
Colleagues said the FSL personnel had been working long hours for two consecutive days due to the “voluminous nature” of the recovery that had to be processed as per procedure.
The two revenue officials killed were identified as Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan from Soibugh Budgam and local chowkidar Suhail Ahmad Rather. Both had been at the police station to complete documentation and other formalities linked to the seizure.
“They were there as part of their official duty, fulfilling the requirement of civil administration presence during such procedures,” an officer said.
Colleagues in the revenue department remembered Muzaffar Ahmed as a meticulous officer who kept his records updated and was accessible to people in his jurisdiction.
Suhail, the chowkidar, served as a key link between the administration and residents — often the first point of contact for villagers needing help with official work.
Their deaths underline how the tragedy cut across departments and hierarchies — from police and forensic experts to civil administration and local support staff.
A 45-year-old tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray of Wanabal, had not gone to the station as an accused or a complainant, but as a helper responding to a call for assistance.
Parray, a respected figure in his neighbourhood was known for his community service. He routinely collected donations during Friday prayers and was often the first to step forward when someone in the area needed help.
He was also the lone breadwinner for his family — a wife, daughter and two sons — who depended entirely on his modest tailoring shop at Wanabal Chowk.
On Friday morning, police took Parray to the Nowgam station around 10 am for what relatives described as “some packing work” linked to explosive materials recovered from Faridabad, Haryana. He returned home around 1 pm for prayers and lunch, then went back to continue helping. In the evening, he again came home for dinner and night prayers, reassuring his family that he would be back soon, before leaving one last time for the station.
“He kept telling the family it was just temporary work and he would soon be back,” said an elderly relative.
Initially, relatives were told that Parray was among the injured. But in the early hours of Saturday, police informed them that he had succumbed to his injuries and asked them to come and identify the body.
“When we heard about Parray, we rushed to the spot,” recalled resident Jawhar Ahmad.
Residents of Nowgam, Wanabal, Natipora, Chanapora said the blast shook the area just before midnight.
“We first thought it was an air blast,” a local from Natipora said. “Some window panes of our house were shattered even though we live around 1,000–1,200 metres away.”
Many rushed towards the police station, only to encounter scenes of horror.
Another resident, Tariq Ahmad, described chaos and disbelief as people searched frantically for relatives and friends who had been near the station.
In Wanabal, Parray’s family now faces an uncertain future. With their only earning member gone, neighbours have appealed to the administration for immediate financial support and long-term relief.
“We request the government, especially the lieutenant governor, to do something for the family so that it can sustain itself,” a local said. “The government should provide a job to his son.”
Similar appeals are being heard from Kupwara and other localities from Tral, Kulgam where the police and revenue officials lived, as nine households struggle to come to terms with a tragedy that unfolded not on a battlefield, but inside a police station during quiet, painstaking investigative work — a stark reminder of the risks borne even far from the frontlines.
Director General of Police (DGP) J&K, Nalin Prabhat, said the explosion occurred while officials were handling explosive materials seized during the probe into an alleged “white-collar terror module”.
“As part of the prescribed procedure, the samples of the recovery had to be forwarded for further forensic and chemical examination. On account of the voluminous nature of the recovery, this process was going on for the past two days by the Forensic Science Laboratory team,” Prabhat said.
“Unfortunately, during this course, on Friday night, around 11.20 pm, an accidental explosion took place. Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” he added.
