Nine people lost their lives and 32 others sustained injuries after confiscated explosive material blew up inside the Nowgam police station near Srinagar on Friday night. The explosives, originally seized from a doctor in Faridabad during an ongoing terror probe, detonated while police personnel and forensic teams were examining them.

Blast during handling of seized material

According to officials, the explosion occurred around 11:20 pm when teams were inspecting the highly unstable explosives brought from Haryana. Most of the casualties include policemen and forensic experts, while two officials from the Srinagar administration also died.

The injured were taken to the Indian Army’s 92 Base Hospital and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS).

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat said the material was extremely sensitive and was being handled with utmost caution. He termed other speculations “unnecessary”, stating that it was an accidental blast.

Explosives linked to unfolding ‘doctor module’

The Nowgam police station had earlier uncovered posters linked to a terror group, which eventually exposed a network of radicalised professionals. That probe led to the recovery of a massive cache of around 3,000 kg of ammonium nitrate from locations connected to Dr Muzammil Shakeel in Faridabad.

The posters—seen in October—were put up by arrested doctor Adeel Ahmad Rather, whose detention later connected the dots in a wider terror plot. Investigations revealed his association with a radical module involving highly qualified professionals and foreign handlers.

During the interrogation, the involvement of Shakeel and another doctor, Shaheen Saeed, came forward. Hours after Saeed’s arrest, a car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort left 13 dead and over 20 injured.

Delhi blast linked to same network

Further investigation uncovered that the i20 car involved in the Delhi blast was allegedly driven by Dr Umar Nabi. Officials believe the suspects panicked after chemicals were seized from Faridabad, possibly leading them to hurriedly assemble the explosive device.

Sources said the nature of the blast indicates improper assembly of the IED, suggesting the suspects failed to arm it for maximum impact.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described the National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping win in the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 as a “powerful expression of trust,” addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. He said the people of Bihar had delivered a historic mandate, reaffirming confidence in the NDA’s governance model.

PM Modi calls verdict a decisive endorsement

Expressing gratitude to voters, the Prime Minister said Bihar had “created history with its overwhelming trust,” stressing that the mandate showed people wanted the NDA to return to power. He added that voters responded to his call for greater participation, helping set new turnout records.

Opposition targeted over ‘Katta Sarkar’

Reiterating his criticism of the opposition, PM Modi said he had repeatedly warned about the return of “Jungle Raj” and what he termed “Katta Sarkar.” He remarked that while these terms drew no objection from one opposition party, they appeared to trouble another. He asserted that Bihar had clearly rejected such governance.

‘Biggest mandate since 2010’

Calling this the strongest mandate in 15 years, he thanked the electorate on behalf of all NDA partners. Modi said the people fulfilled both his appeals: to vote in higher numbers and to elect the alliance decisively.

New ‘MY Formula’: Mahila and Youth

The Prime Minister said some parties attempted to rely on the older caste-based “MY formula,” but the people countered it with a new version — “Mahila and Youth.” He said Bihar’s young population across all communities supported a progressive vision and rejected divisive politics.

Youth backing for clean voter lists

Modi praised the youth for supporting efforts to maintain clean and accurate voter lists. He urged political parties to strengthen booth-level teams nationwide and participate actively in this process.

Victory for democracy and Election Commission

The Prime Minister framed the result as a win for democracy, noting rising voter participation, including in marginalised sections. Recalling earlier challenges in Maoist-affected regions where polling once ended early, he said this election saw enthusiastic voting across the state.

Bihar rejected attempts to undermine institutions

He said the state, known as a cradle of India’s democratic ethos, once again stood against attempts to weaken institutions. Modi remarked that “falsehood loses and public trust wins,” adding that voters would not support leaders facing serious legal issues.

People voting for real social justice

Highlighting what he called a shift in public consciousness, the Prime Minister said the country was now voting for a model of social justice based on opportunity, dignity and equality. He said appeasement politics had faded and had been replaced by a demand for development-driven governance.

By Vickram Kilpady

The Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance in Bihar is set to return to power with a landslide victory of over 200 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly elections, results of which were declared on Friday. The Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Mahagathbandhan, which also includes the Congress, came a distant second with less than 35 seats.

Nitish Kumar, who led a minority government after the 2020 victory and was saddled with two BJP Deputy CMs over the last five years, seems to have had the last laugh when his party, the Janata Dal United, managed to win 84 seats as opposed to 43 in 2020. The BJP is set to become the single largest party in the Assembly with 90 seats. The RJD, which was the single largest party in 2020 with 75 seats, had 25 seats including leads. There are bound to be interesting days ahead in the winning coalition. And if everything goes well, Kumar may be sworn in as chief minister for the 10th time and is already holding the longest tenure in power as Bihar CM.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Bihar for the victory and promised to further advance the state’s development. Crediting the landslide to good governance and development, he said NDA workers countered every lie brought against them by the opposition. Modi said the youth and women of the state will get many opportunities to build a prosperous life.

Claims of Kumar’s anti-incumbency, which was the focal point of the Mahagathbandhan, were thrown to the winds in this NDA victory. Also left in the lurch was the Jan Suraaj Party, floated by electoral strategist Prashant Kishor, not making a mark despite its founder’s insistence during the campaign that the NDA will not return to power.

The victory was plagued by complaints of electoral fixing, the effects of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India in which 65 lakh voters were struck off initially, and the release of Rs 10,000 to 25 lakh women under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana just ahead of the announcement of elections.

With leads blitzing away in the morning, Congress leader Udit Raj tweeted that SIR was ahead in the elections, thus venting the popular disaffection with the ECI exercise that ruffled several votebanks. The Jan Suraaj too bemoaned that the women of Bihar had forfeited their futures for just Rs 10,000. The Congress noted both the ECI’s ignoring opposition complaints regarding SIR and the Bihar government’s pro-women largesse ahead of polls.

Among the many reasons being pointed to for the Mahagathbandhan’s dismal showing, the inability of the Congress and RJD to make room for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in the alliance was cited as key. The AIMIM, which was keen to be in the Mahagathbandhan, won 5 seats handsomely in the Seemanchal region bordering West Bengal at the cost of the opposition alliance, said reports.

Other reports spoke of the Mahila-EBC (ME) factor for the NDA which defeated the RJD’s grip on the Muslim-Yadav (MY) votebank.