Tragedy struck late Thursday night in Srinagar, India-occupied Kashmir.
An “accidental explosion” ripped through the Nowgam police station.
At least nine people were killed and 32 injured.
Most of them were policemen and forensic officials working to examine a large cache of confiscated explosives.
What went wrong? Authorities say the blast occurred while samples were being extracted from explosives seized earlier this week in Haryana.
“Due to the sensitive and unstable nature of the recovered material, the sampling and examination were being carried out with extreme caution.
Despite all precautions, an accidental blast occurred,” a senior police officer told The Hindu.
The impact was devastating. The police station itself was severely damaged, and nearby buildings were affected.
“Small successive explosions” delayed rescue efforts.
Some bodies were “completely burnt,” with fragments found as far as 100–200 meters from the site.
Tragic Accidental Blast
Among the victims were members of the Forensic Science Laboratory, police photographers, revenue officials, and civilians.
Both Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and DGP Nalin Prabhat stressed the incident was accidental.
“Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” Prabhat said.
Reports linking the explosion to foreign groups like the People’s Anti-Fascist Front have been dismissed as “baseless.”
The tragedy comes just days after a deadly car blast in Delhi, prompting widespread raids in Kashmir and northern India.
As investigators piece together what happened, the event serves as a stark reminder of the invisible dangers behind the scenes in law enforcement.
Sometimes the threat comes not from outside, but from the very explosives meant to protect.
