New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP), Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed grief over the loss of 9 lives in an accidental blast in Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Srinagar, coinciding with the Congress’ demand to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism in the country.

“The explosion at the Naugam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the death of several security personnel and injuries to many others, is extremely heartbreaking and concerning,” wrote LoP Gandhi on X.

Rahul Gandhi said, “Reports indicate that this horrific accident occurred during the investigation of explosives linked to the Red Fort attack. I pay humble tribute to the martyrs and hope for the swift recovery of the injured.”

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat said that the explosion inside the Nowgam Police Station was unfortunate and dismissed any “terror link”, saying that other theories into the cause of this unfortunate incident were just “unnecessary speculation”.

The DGP told mediapersons, “A huge quantity of explosive material from Faridabad was brought to Nowgam Police Station and kept securely in an open space. Due to the voluminous nature of the recovery, the sampling process of the explosive material was taking place for the last two days, yesterday and the day before, to forward the samples for further forensic and chemical examination.”

Earlier, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge condoled the deaths in the explosion in Nowgam, describing it as a “wake-up call” for the Centre to strengthen the Intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms.

“It is extremely disconcerting and sad to know that 9 precious lives have been lost and 29 people have been injured in a blast at a police station in Nowgam, Jammu & Kashmir. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. The injured must be treated with prompt medical supervision, and adequate compensation must be provided to the victims.”

He highlighted that these developments come only days after the “cowardly” car blast terror attack near Red Fort in Delhi, and said that this “is a wake-up call for the Union Govt to strengthen Intelligence and anti-terror mechanisms. It cannot run away from accountability.”

“The Indian National Congress stands united with the nation, against the scourge of terrorism. In light of the recent Red Fort terror attack, there is an urgent need to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the growing threat of terrorism, which continues to receive backing and support from external forces,” he added.

–IANS

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