Nine people — including State Investigation Agency Inspector Israr Ahmad Shah, five police personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory and Crime Branch, two revenue officials, and a local tailor assisting the investigation — were killed in the accidental explosion at the Nowgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir, an incident that has left families and entire neighbourhoods devastated.

Inspector Shah, who joined the police force in 2011 and hailed from Drugmulla in Kupwara district, was known as a soft-spoken and dedicated officer.

Survived by his wife, two young children and elderly parents, he was remembered by neighbour Ghulam Mohammad as someone who “focused mainly on his work”.

His reputation for being helpful was evident from the throngs of villagers rushing to his home as the news spread.

Other police personnel killed included Selection Grade Constables Javaid Mansoor Rather and Arshid Ahmad Shah — both Crime Branch photographers — along with Selection Grade Constable Aijaz Afzal Mir and Constables Mohammad Amin Mir and Showkat Ahmad Bhat, all three attached to the Forensic Science Laboratory.

Also among the dead were Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan, local chowkidar Suhail Ahmad Rather, and civilian tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray.

Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said the explosion occurred while officials were handling explosive materials seized during the investigation into the “white collar terror module” case.

“As part of the prescribed procedure, the samples of the recovery had to be forwarded for further forensic and chemical examination. On account of the voluminous nature of the recovery, this process was going on for the past two days by the Forensic Science Laboratory team,” Prabhat said.

“Unfortunately, during this course, on Friday night, around 11.20 pm, an accidental explosion took place. Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary,” he added.

Prabhat confirmed that nine people lost their lives and 32 were injured, including 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians from the neighbouring area.

Among the civilians killed was 47-year-old tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray, the lone breadwinner for his family and a respected community volunteer.

Parray had been assisting investigators throughout Friday in collecting samples of the explosive materials seized from Faridabad, Haryana.

A dutiful family man, he returned home twice for prayers and dinner before heading back to the police station in the evening to continue the work — a decision that proved fatal.

Relatives recalled his final hours vividly. “He was my sister's brother-in-law. He was a man of character, the president of the local mosque,” an elderly relative said.

Another added that Parray was taken by police at 10 am for “some packing work”, returned at 1 pm for prayers and lunch, went back to the station, then came home again in the evening for dinner before leaving one final time.

Parray’s death plunged the entire Wanabal neighbourhood into grief.

His family — a wife, daughter and two sons — had initially been told he was injured.

But early Saturday morning, police informed them he had succumbed to his injuries and asked them to identify the body.

As the news spread, relatives and locals gathered at the family’s two-storey home, where “wails and cries could be heard from a distance”.

Locals described him as a devoted community figure who also collected donations at the local mosque during Friday prayers. His shop at Wanabal Chowk was the family's sole source of income.

Recounting the blast, resident Jawhar Ahmad Wani said the neighbourhood woke to a deafening sound.

“We first thought it was an air blast. Some window panes of our house were also shattered, even though we live around 1,000–1,200 metres away,” he said.

Residents rushed to the scene to help.

“We found body parts at various places. I picked up someone's arm,” Wani recalled.

Another local, Tariq Ahmad, added, “When we heard about Parray, we rushed to the scene. He (the body) did not have any legs. We also went to identify him.”

With the family shattered and no source of income left, locals have appealed to authorities for immediate support.

“We request the government, especially the lieutenant governor, to do something for the family so that it can sustain itself. The government should provide a job to his son,” Wani said.