Tailor and Officers Among Nine Killed in Kashmir Police Station Blast

SRINAGAR: The accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station on the outskirts of Srinagar has claimed the lives of nine Kashmiri youth — including police personnel, revenue officials, crime photographers and a local tailor — leaving a trail of grief across the Valley.

Nine people — State Investigation Agency (SIA) Inspector, five police personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Crime Branch, two revenue officials, and a local tailor who had gone to help with work at the station — were killed when explosives stored at the facility went off late Friday night at 11:20 pm.

The blast also left 32 others injured, among them 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians from the neighbouring area, according to officials. Many of the injured are stated to have suffered serious burn and blast injuries.

Among the dead was SIA Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah, a resident of Drugmulla in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Shah, who joined JK Police in 2011, had built a reputation among colleagues and neighbours as a quiet, diligent officer. His sudden death has left his family and village stunned.

Neighbours at his ancestral home in Drugmulla remembered him as soft-spoken and fully dedicated to his duties. “He mainly focused on his work. He wouldn’t interfere in anything unnecessary,” said his neighbour Ghulam Mohammad, as a stream of mourners entered the house, reciting prayers and trying to comfort the family.

Shah is survived by his wife, two young children and elderly parents. Villagers recalled him as a patient listener who never flaunted his rank. “He was a humble human being first, and then an officer,” a local said. “The entire locality feels it has lost one of its own sons.”

The blast also claimed the lives of 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 and responsible for documenting crucial evidence at crime scenes and during sensitive operations. Their work, colleagues said, often formed the visual backbone of cases built against terror suspects and criminal networks.

Colleagues said Javaid and Arshid had quietly built a reputation for precision behind the camera, their photographs later 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 both a personal blow 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 and hazardous task of handling, sampling and cataloguing the explosives when tragedy struck.

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 strictly as per procedure. “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 safely neutralise seized explosives.”

The two revenue officials killed were identified as Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan and local chowkidar (village-level functionary) Suhail Ahmad Rather. Both had been at the police station to complete documentation and other legal formalities linked to the seizure.

Colleagues in the revenue department remembered Muzaffar Ahmed as a meticulous officer who kept his records updated and remained accessible to people in his jurisdiction. Suhail, the chowkidar, acted as a key link between the administration and residents, often the first point of contact for villagers seeking help with official work.

A local tailor, Mohammad Shafi Parray of Wanabal, who had gone to assist police with packing work related to the seized explosives, was also killed in the blast, leaving behind a wife, daughter and two sons who depended entirely on his small tailoring shop. (KINS)