Jammu, Nov 16: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday praised the Jammu and Kashmir Police for a major breakthrough in busting a pan-India terror module that, according to him, helped avert several planned attacks across the country.
Speaking at an event in Jammu, the LG said the module, which has links to the Red Fort blast, was exposed due to timely intelligence inputs and coordinated action by J&K Police.
He also expressed deep sorrow over the accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station, where a forensic examination of seized explosives ended in tragedy.
“A team was collecting samples from explosive material recovered from the terrorists behind the Red Fort blast. Unfortunately, we lost brave J&K Police personnel and officials,” he said, extending condolences to the families of those who died.
The LG clarified that the Nowgam blast had no terror angle and was purely accidental. He commended the police for their dedication and professionalism, stressing that their swift response had saved many lives by preventing possible terror strikes.
A detailed inquiry into the incident has been ordered, and support has been extended to the injured and the families of the deceased.
The accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station occurred around 11:20 pm on Friday when experts were extracting samples from a large and unstable cache of explosives recovered during the ongoing probe into the ‘white-collar’ terror module.
Among the nine people who lost their lives were six policemen—SIA Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah, Crime Branch photographers Javaid Mansoor Rather and Arshid Ahmad Shah, FSL personnel Aijaz Afzal Mir, Mohammad Amin Mir, and Showkat Ahmad Bhat.
Others killed in the incident were Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan, local chowkidar Suhail Ahmad Rather, and tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray.
