While India was still recovering from the loss of life and shock caused by the massive blasts that took place near Red Fort on 10 November evening, the blasts at Police Station Nowgam in Srinagar on the night of 14-15 November have created further ripples.
Coming within four days of each other, the twin blasts have caused loss of almost two dozen lives and severe injury to about 40 people. The police station Nowgam has been flattened in the process besides causing nine deaths and several injuries.
An outfit named “Peoples Anti-Fascist Front”, a proxy of Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed responsibility, which has been denied by the J&K police. They have denied any terror angle and have attributed the explosion to accident that occurred when nearly 350 Kg of Ammonium Nitrate—recently confiscated from Faridabad and kept inside the police station compound—was in the process of being sealed and secured in the presence of magistrate.
The DG J&K Police further stated that “Owing to unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery it was being handled with utmost caution. However, during the same, an accidental explosion took place at about 11:20 PM on Friday the 14 November. Any other speculation into the case is unnecessary”.
The statement that the explosive was being handled with utmost care yet it caused an accidental detonation, is in itself contradictory.