Nowgam Tragedy: Who Approved Storing 2,900 kg of Explosives in an Urban Police Station?
Nowgam blast sparks outrage over deadly storage blunder.
A catastrophic explosion at Nowgam Police Station on Saturday evening claimed nine lives and injured 32 others when approximately 2,900 kilograms of seized ammonium nitrate detonated during routine sampling, prompting security experts and political leaders across party lines to demand answers for storing such an enormous quantity of highly sensitive explosives inside a densely populated residential locality.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S P Vaid described the decision as a grave violation of established safety protocols, stating that explosives of this nature must always be kept in isolated, purpose-built magazines far from human habitation. He warned that ammonium nitrate becomes extremely unstable when exposed to moisture, heat, or even minor sparks, and can detonate with devastating force under the slightest provocation.
The seized material had been transferred to Nowgam Police Station four days earlier following the dismantling of an interstate militant funding module, yet remained stored within the station premises instead of being moved to a designated secure facility. The blast occurred while officials, including a Naib Tehsildar and civilian assistants, were present for sampling and sealing, raising serious concerns about the presence of untrained personnel during such a hazardous procedure.
Also Read: J&K LG Rules Out Terror Link in Nowgam Police Station Explosion, Declares Accident
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed that a high-level investigation has been ordered to determine how and why such a massive cache was retained in an urban police station, under whose authority it was stored, and why standard operating procedures for handling seized explosives were apparently disregarded. PDP leader Iltija Mufti called the incident a monumental lapse of judgment and demanded accountability at the highest levels.
Leaders from the National Conference and BJP echoed the demand for a thorough probe, with NC MP Ruhullah Mehdi insisting that responsibility must be fixed at every level of the chain of command. The tragedy has claimed the lives of police personnel, a revenue official, a chowkidar, and civilians who had been summoned to assist, turning a routine administrative task into one of the deadliest accidental explosions in the region’s recent history.
Also Read: Farooq Abdullah Seeks Probe Into Nowgam Police Station Blast, Calls It ‘A Serious Mistake’
