SUHAIL KHAN
KUPWARA, NOV 15: A pall of silence has descended upon the village of Mukam-e-Shahwali in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The quiet is broken only by the sounds of collective mourning as villagers grapple with the profound loss of State Investigation Agency Inspector Asrar Ahmad. He was one of nine victims killed in an accidental blast at the Nowgam police station on Friday night.
“The whole locality is shattered. There is stillness on all sides,” said Shabir Ahmad, a local resident, while talking to Kashmir Convener. “With Inspector Asrar’s passing, it feels like the very soul has left our entire neighborhood.”
The sense of loss is deeply personal for villagers who saw Inspector Asrar not as a distant officer but as one of their own. Tariq Ahmad, another resident, said that Asrar was a good man who never made him feel like he was a high-ranking officer. “He was a villager and a friend,” Tariq added.
During his visits home, Asrar was known to engage with everyone from the youngest children to the eldest elders with consistent warmth and respect. A villager recalled to Kashmir Convener that he lived and spoke with such goodness.
Beyond his official duties, Inspector Asrar was a dedicated social worker widely regarded as a pillar of his community. He was often at the forefront of local initiatives, known for his generosity in helping the poor and contributing from his own resources. Described as a man of principle, he was a guiding figure for many.
The tragedy is compounded by the promise his career held. Another villager, Shakir, recounted that Asrar was appointed to the police force in 2010, and from then on, everyone felt proud of him. They had hoped he would go far and continue to inspire the youth. The villager expressed that they are in shock and numb, still unable to believe Asrar is no longer among them.
Ghulam Ahmad, a senior citizen of the village, affirmed that the villagers are also proud of his sacrifice for the nation. “Asrar is a real martyr who sacrificed his life for the country,” he said.
Inspector Asrar leaves behind his father, a retired headmaster, his wife, and three young children. A relative, Nazir Ahmad, described a heart-wrenching scene symbolic of the district’s sorrow. The father, who once dreamed of his son shouldering responsibilities, was now bearing his son’s coffin on his own shoulders.
In his passing, the village realizes it has lost an irreplaceable figure. A resident said, “It is very sad for the whole village, as we lost a gem. He was a proud figure in the village who inspired generations, and the village will never forget his noble soul.”
Mukam-e-Shahwali has lost its diamond. The light he brought to their lives is now a cherished and aching memory.
Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered a probe into the “accidental” explosion that ripped through Nowgam police station in Srinagar late on Friday (November 14, 2025), killing nine people and injuring as many as 32 others. The J&K Police on Saturday (November 15) categorically dismissed claims of involvement by any Pakistan-based terror group, including JeM’s PAFF, stating the explosion occurred “accidentally.”
The blast occurred while authorities were extracting samples, before forwarding them to the forensic team, from a large cache of explosives confiscated from Haryana’s Faridabad in connection with an inter-State terror module case. “Due to the sensitive and unstable nature of the recovered material, the sampling and examination were being carried out with extreme caution. Despite all precautions, an accidental blast occurred last night,” said J&K Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat.
Meanwhile, in a statement on the incident, Union Home Ministry joint secretary Prashant Lokhande said the cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, even though the recovered explosives were being forwarded for forensic examination as per standard operating procedure. The transportation of explosives had been ongoing for the past two days, he added.
Comments are closed.