On Friday night, November 14th, the Nowgam police station in Srinagar didn’t just experience an explosion — it became the explosion. Nine people died and 29 were injured when nearly 2,900 kilograms of seized explosive materials detonated with such force that people 30 kilometers away heard it. But to understand why this tragedy happened, we need to understand the deadly chemistry of what was being stored and why keeping these materials together in an open area was like assembling a bomb and waiting for it to go off.
Let’s start with the main villain in this story — ammonium nitrate. Over 350 kilograms of it were stored at the police station. This white crystalline chemical looks harmless, almost like fertilizer (which it actually is, in normal use). But ammonium nitrate has a dark side. It’s the same substance that caused the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020, which killed over 200 people and injured thousands. It was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. And it’s a favorite among terrorists worldwide because it’s powerful, relatively easy to obtain, and deadly when used as an explosive.
Here’s the science behind why ammonium nitrate is so dangerous. On its own, it’s relatively stable. But when it’s contaminated, heated, or mixed with certain other substances, it undergoes a chemical reaction that releases massive amounts of energy in the form of heat, gas, and shock waves — in other words, an explosion. The chemical formula is NH₄NO₃, and when it decomposes explosively, it breaks down into nitrogen gas, oxygen gas, and water vapor, expanding violently and creating the destructive blast.
Now, here’s where the Nowgam situation becomes truly horrifying. The ammonium nitrate wasn’t stored alone. It was kept alongside potash, phosphorus, and other dangerous chemicals. Phosphorus is particularly nasty — white phosphorus ignites spontaneously when exposed to air and burns at extremely high temperatures. Potash, depending on its type, can react with acids or moisture to create heat. When you store these reactive chemicals together in an open area exposed to temperature changes, humidity, and possible contamination, you’re creating perfect conditions for a disaster.
On Saturday morning, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat used one critical word to describe the stored explosives — “unstable”. This admission is crucial. Stability in chemistry means predictability. Unstable explosives are unpredictable. They can detonate from heat, friction, shock, contamination, or even spontaneous decomposition over time. When the DGP says the explosives were unstable, he’s essentially saying they were a loaded gun with a hair trigger.
The victims of this chemical catastrophe were professionals doing routine work. One State Investigation Agency member, three Forensic Science Laboratory personnel, two crime scene photographers, two revenue officials from the magistrate’s team, and even a tailor associated with the team — all dead. Additionally, 27 police personnel, two revenue officials, and three civilians from nearby areas were injured. They had no idea they were working next to what was essentially a chemical bomb.
The blast occurred during a standard legal procedure — collecting samples for forensic examination. The magistrate and FSL team had arrived to do exactly what they were supposed to do. But here’s what likely happened, based on the chemistry involved: When handling unstable ammonium nitrate mixed with other reactive chemicals, even small actions can trigger disaster. Opening containers might have exposed the chemicals to air and moisture. Moving the materials could have created friction or impact. The inspection itself might have generated heat or static electricity. Any of these could have initiated a chain reaction.
Ammonium nitrate explosions don’t always need a detonator. If contaminated with organic materials (even something as simple as cloth, paper, or oil), it becomes sensitized — meaning it can explode from relatively minor stimuli. If stored with phosphorus, which can self-ignite, you have an internal ignition source. Add the circuits, batteries, wires, remote controls, timers, and metal sheets that were also stored there, and you have potential electrical sparks and additional fuel for the fire.
The 2,900 kilograms of explosive material seized during the Red Fort terror case investigation also included inflammable items — substances that catch fire easily. When you combine inflammables with oxidizers like ammonium nitrate (which releases oxygen during decomposition), you create what chemists call a “fuel-oxidizer” mixture — the perfect recipe for a massive explosion.
This entire deadly cocktail was kept in the open area of a police station. Not in temperature-controlled storage. Not separated by chemical compatibility. Not in blast-proof containers. Not under the supervision of explosive experts. Just sitting there, in Srinagar’s changing weather conditions, where summer heat and winter cold would cause the chemicals to expand, contract, and potentially react with each other.
The investigation that led to this seizure was significant — it uncovered a dangerous Jaish-e-Mohammad terror module involving three arrested doctors from Faridabad and Saharanpur, with a fourth member, Umar Nabi, still at large. But in trying to prevent a terrorist attack, the authorities created the very disaster the terrorists had planned.
Here’s what should have happened. The moment police seized nearly three tons of unstable explosives, specialized bomb disposal units should have been called. The materials should have been immediately transported to a military ammunition depot designed to store explosives. Each chemical should have been separated and stored according to its specific safety requirements. Temperature and humidity should have been controlled. And any inspection should have been conducted only by explosive ordnance disposal experts wearing protective equipment in a secure location far from populated areas.
Instead, these deadly chemicals sat in an open police station area where officers worked daily, where visitors came to file complaints, and where the FSL team and magistrate’s staff arrived for a routine inspection — never knowing they were walking into a death trap.
The chemistry doesn’t lie. Ammonium nitrate plus heat plus contamination plus other reactive chemicals equals explosion. It’s not a question of if, but when. Nowgam answered that question with nine lives.
We have the National Security Guard, Army bomb disposal squads, and Defence Research and Development Organisation experts who understand explosive chemistry. We have protocols developed specifically because explosives are dangerous. Yet somehow, nearly three tons of unstable bomb-making materials ended up stored improperly at a regular police station.
This wasn’t terrorism. This was chemistry meeting negligence. Nine families are mourning because someone decided that proper explosive storage procedures didn’t matter. Because someone thought keeping unstable chemicals in an open area was acceptable. Because somewhere in the chain of command, the deadly chemistry of these materials was either misunderstood or ignored.
The Nowgam explosion should trigger immediate nationwide audits of how seized explosives are stored. Every police station holding chemical evidence needs to be inspected immediately. Officers need mandatory training in explosive chemistry and handling. And there must be absolute accountability for whoever authorised storing nearly three tons of unstable explosives at a regular police station.
Chemistry follows rules. Break those rules with unstable explosives, and people die. Nowgam proved that tragically. We cannot let it happen again.
Also Read: White-Collar Terrorism: Why India’s most educated professionals are joining terror groups
