Explosion at Police Station in Indian-controlled Kashmir Kills Nine

An explosion occurred at a police station in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, resulting in at least 9 deaths and more than 30 injuries.

The explosives detonated late on Friday night at a police station in the Naukum area, south of Srinagar.

A source who did not want to be named told Reuters that identification of the bodies was ongoing, as some were "completely burned."

The source said, "The blast was extremely powerful, with body parts found in nearby houses up to 100 to 200 meters (110 to 220 yards) away from the police station."

According to Indian television channel NDTV, most of the victims were police officers and forensic experts who were inspecting the explosives at the time. Two officials from the Srinagar government also died in the explosion.

The report stated that five people are still in critical condition, and the death toll may rise further.

Aditya Raj Kaul, senior executive editor of NDTV, posted on social media: "This is not a terrorist attack. The police said it is a very unfortunate incident."

He added, "At the time of the explosion, the forensic team and police were inspecting the explosives stored at the police station."

The massive explosion occurred several days after a deadly car bombing in New Delhi on Monday. The explosion took place near the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, killing at least 12 people, and the authorities called it a "terrorist attack."

Just hours before the explosion in the Indian capital, the police had arrested several suspects and seized explosives and assault rifles.

The police said the suspects were linked to the "Jaish-e-Muhammad" (JeM) in Pakistan and a Kashmiri branch of JeM called "Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind." JeM aims to overthrow Indian rule in Kashmir.

After the car bombing in New Delhi, the police in Indian-controlled Kashmir also detained over 650 people as part of the investigation.

It was reported that the Naukum police station, where the explosion occurred on Friday, had led an investigation into posters of "Jaish-e-Muhammad" (JeM) in the region, which warned of attacks against security forces and "outsiders."

The police stated that their investigation into these posters revealed a "white-collar terrorism ecosystem," including radical professionals and students connected to foreign masterminds operating in Pakistan and other countries.

The police also seized nearly 3,000 kilograms (3 tons) of explosives, claiming that the militant group had stockpiled enough for large-scale attacks in India.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, when it gained independence from British rule, with both countries claiming sovereignty over the Himalayan region.

Since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars over Kashmir, and tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over the region's status continue to exist.

Sources: Al Jazeera

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848860162035715/

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