The Nowgam Blast

The Delhi blasts on November 10, that killed 13 and injured at least 24, were triggered in the immediate aftermath of the arrests in Faridabad (Haryana), in J&K, Gujarat and Pune. In those the people that were detained were Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather and Dr Muzamil Shakeel (caught with 360 kg RDX and assault rifles), Dr Ahmed, Mohiyuddin Saiyed (caught with Ricin poison and drone-borne weapons), Dr Shaheena, Dr Shakil, Dr Adil Ahmad (caught 2,900 kg Ammonium Nitrate), and Zubair Hangargekar (caught with IED manuals and links to al-Qaeda). Our intelligence and security agencies seem to have come alive after Al Qaeda’s call for lone-wolf attacks in India (https://www.sentinelassam.com/amp/story/more-news/national-news/al-qaeda-issues-lone-wolf-call-in-india-marking-alarming-tactical-shift).

Emerging reports now suggest possible Pakistan–Bangladesh linkages in the Delhi blast. This development is not entirely unexpected, as prior to the 27th Constitutional Amendment that formalized his elevation to Field Marshal, Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir was reported by certain sources to have made provocative remarks implying an intention to “attack India from the East.” While the authenticity and context of such statements remain contested, the resurfacing of these claims has added further scrutiny to the evolving investigation.

According to one report in the media, Pakistan-based LeT handler Saifullah Saif virtually joined a meeting in Banani, Dhaka days before the Delhi blast. Seven persons were physically present at the meeting, which included leaders of the banned Bangladesh outfits (HuT) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and two Bangladesh government officials. Saifullah Saif reportedly issued operational directions for large-scale attacks in India, while Iqtiyar (a Bangladeshi national)  provided safehouses for the operatives

According to another report, quoting a source at the highest political level, more than 15 tons of explosives were pushed into India and some 32 cars were arranged to engineer blasts across multiple locations spread across the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighbouring areas. The above-mentioned terrorist meeting in Banani, Dhaka was attended by two top Bangladeshi government officials along with a Pakistani LeT top commander, head of banned Islamic group HuT, General Secretary of Markaazi Jamiat - Ahl - e - Hadis, HuT coordinator, deputies of ABT and explosive experts.

Pushing these explosives was only possible by Bangladesh's external intelligence agency - DGFI in collaboration with Jihadi organizations operating in Bangladesh and India. The explosive experts sneaked into India through Bengal to train people in executing the operation. They used the standard Bengal infiltration route that former IB Chief and Jt. Director of IB - Maloy Krishna Dhar - mentioned in his book ‘Fulcrum of Eastern Evil’. The Delhi blast was not a desperate attack but a well thought out and planned warning shot in wake of the forthcoming visit of Russia’s President Putin. This game is played by the CIA to protect and further American interests and agenda. Indian intel agencies stopped massive terror attacks that would make the 1993 serial bomb blasts and 26/11 look small. 

The above makes interesting reading but raises a whole lot of questions. The infiltration routes along the India-Bangladesh border are identified and very well known. Guarding of this international border is the responsibility of the Border Security Force (BSF), which operates directly under the union Home Minister. So, how had this massive quantity of explosives (15-tons?) been smuggled across the border and in what timeframe? Is this facilitated by design? What is the accountability of the BSF and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)? Has any exercise been done to identify personnel in the BSF manning this border who may be compromised, ideologically, bribed or under blackmail?

Similar questions are relevant to the intelligence agencies, in that, how did such a massive volume of explosives come through the borders and reach the destinations they were partly seized? Stopping major terror attacks is good but unless and until we do not address these questions, we will continue to be on the receiving end of terrorist attacks.      

On November 15, 2025, at least 9 people were killed and 27 injured when a tranche of confiscated explosives blew up at Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar, J&K. DGP Nalin Prabhat said in a press conference that the dead included policemen, government officials and forensic staff who were examining the explosives at the time, and that the cause of the blast and the extent of the damage were being investigated.

He further said that this was "an accidental explosion" and “any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary." According to a source, "The intensity of the blast was such that some body parts were recovered from nearby houses, around 100-200 metres away from the police station." Persons killed in the Nowgam blast included an inspector of the J&K Police State Investigation Agency, three officials of the forensics department, two officials of J&K’s revenue department, two police photographers and civilian tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray.

Nalin Prabhat has termed the Nowgam blast“ accidental” and said any other speculation into the cause of the incident “unnecessary", which is expected being DGP. But that should not stop us from looking deeper into the cause of the blast. The explosives in the instant case were 360 kg RDX seized in Faridabad. Where was the need to transport this massive amount of RDX to Srinagar when there are many forensic labs in Delhi-NCR, including the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Home Dept. Govt of NCT of Delhi? Was this foolishness, upmanship or fear that the credit of the seizure to J&K Police will get diluted? 

There could be many reasons why the blast occurred. One view is that the reason was the heating arrangement in the police station. Another view is that the blast could have been triggered by a hidden detonator or a live fuse that may have caused the explosion. But it would be completely foolish to discount that the blast wasn’t caused by a person ideologically groomed to trigger it remotely or physically. Nalin Prabhat obviously cannot admit this but given the elaborate conjoint plans of Pakistan and Bangladesh (under CIA tutelage), this is very much possible, more of a certainty. Incidentally, our intelligence agencies have still not pinpointed how 40 kgs RDX entered J&K that was used in the Pulwama car-bombing in 2019 that killed 40 CRPF personnel in J&K. Over the years, many J&K officials and police personnel have been caught with terrorist links, the most recent incident involving Special Police Officers (SPOs) Abdul Latief and Mohd Abbas dismissed in November 2025. Then is the case of J&K’s DSP Davinder Singh caught with two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists, now allowed to walk free (sic).

Seizure of 125-kg explosives in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) is now recently reported     (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL_0ApFyc0d/?igsh=MWp4aWo2NjJlcnBrMg%3D%3D). All the above seizures and arrests could well be the tip of the iceberg. The terrorist eco-system in India has been systemically embedded over the years by Pakistan and state-sponsored regional/global terrorist organizations. This would not be restricted to doctors alone. Rather than patting our backs, we need to seriously revamp our intelligence and security set up. The billion-yes surveillance cannot be just a slogan. The country needs to stand together as we are surrounded from all sides and the enemy also breeds within. The latest is that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist are getting ready poised to infiltrate into the Poonch area of J&K

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.

More on the Nowgam blast and other terror attacks:

Nowgam (Srinagar), J&K — Police Station Explosion – 14 November 2025 – Report: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/nowgam-srinagar-jk-police-station-explosion-14-november-2025/

Explosion near Red Fort, New Delhi – Preliminary Report – 10 Nov 2025: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/explosion-near-red-fort-new-delhi-preliminary-report-10-nov-2025/

Dr Uman Un Nabi (Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir): https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/dr-uman-un-nabi-pulwama-jammu-and-kashmir/

Red Fort / New Delhi — 10 November 2025: Suspects, Arrests and Seizures: https://www.thestrategicperspective.org/red-fort-new-delhi-10-november-suspects-arrests-and-seizures/