Deadly explosion at police station in Indian-administered Kashmir; foul play ruled out

A stockpile of seized explosives accidentally detonated within a police station in Indian-administered Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals and causing injuries to 32 others, as documented by police on Saturday. The incident, which took place in the Nowgam region of Srinagar, the primary city in the area, occurred late on Friday while a group of forensic experts and police personnel were examining the explosives. Nalin Prabhat, the region's police director-general, confirmed that it was an unfortunate accident and not a deliberate act. The casualties included six police officers, forensic officials, two civil administrators, and one civilian. A number of those wounded were in critical condition. The resulting massive explosion caused significant damage to the police station and several vehicles, with reports indicating that multiple smaller explosions hindered immediate rescue efforts. This event followed a fatal car explosion near New Delhi's historic Red Fort on Monday, labeled by Indian authorities as a reprehensible act of terrorism orchestrated by anti-national groups. The explosion near New Delhi occurred shortly after authorities in Kashmir announced the disruption of a suspected militant network operating in the region, leading to multiple arrests and the seizure of bomb-making materials in Faridabad. In response, security agencies in India have conducted raids and interrogations throughout Kashmir to probe the circumstances surrounding the car explosion, with reports suggesting the driver had Kashmiri origins and his family home was destroyed by government forces. The explosive materials from the Faridabad investigation were incidentally stored at the police station in Kashmir, where the mishap took place. According to Prabhat, the materials were securely stored outdoors at the station, where the investigation into the suspected militant cell began. He reiterated that the explosion was accidental and cautioned against speculative conclusions regarding its cause. Local witnesses reported hearing the blast from a considerable distance, with victims' remains found in neighboring residences over 300 feet away from the police station. Some nearby buildings also sustained damage from the explosion. In response to the tragedy, relatives of one victim gathered to demand justice and question the circumstances that led to the incident. An anonymous local police officer disclosed that one of the deceased individuals had been summoned to the station to sew bags for storing samples of the explosive material. The longstanding dispute over the region of Kashmir, with India and Pakistan administering separate portions, has fueled conflicting perspectives on the ongoing conflict in the territory, characterized by a history of militant resistance against Indian administration.