A Case of Exploding Questions

An accidental blast at a police station in Nowgam, Kashmir, leaves behind grieving kin and questions about the handling of seized contraband

- Ishfaq Naseem

A few metres from a playground in Srinagar's Natipora, young Kashmiri men are playing a game of cricket. Muzamil Maqbool Rather, 33, looks petrified recalling the burial of his brother-in-law, Suhail Ahmad Rather, a numberdar. “We recognised Suhail’s body by his face at the police control room after hours spent running from one hospital to another,” says Muzamil, surrounded by mourning relatives and neighbours. A blast was triggered accidentally at the Nowgam police station on November 14, Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday, which is celebrated as Children’s Day. Eight others, too, died in the blast and at least 30 were injured.

Among those who died were three forensics experts, two photographers and two revenue officials. They were handling a huge cache of explosives recovered in the Valley while probing the Delhi terror attack on November 10, 2025. The explosive was kept in an open area of the Nowgam police station for forensic examination. The blast blew away the left side of Suhail’s body, including a leg. Muzamil could hear the deafening boom at his home a kilometre away in Bag-i-Mehtab.

Suhail died on the night of November 14. The numberdars of Kashmir play a key role in civic life—as a link between the locals and the administration. “The family lost its only hope,” Muzamil says. “The other son has mental issues. Suhail also ran a centre where we could get documents photocopied or avail government services.” The numberdar had been called to prepare a record of explosives seized across the Valley. Nowgam residents even 2 km away could see plumes of smoke rising from the burning police station through the night, amid the roar of fire tenders and vehicles of security forces.