Jammu, October 29, 2025 – A quiet afternoon cricket game turned terrifying today in Tutigund village near Handwara in Kupwara district, north Kashmir, when four local boys aged 10 to 13 were injured in a mysterious explosion that rocked the open field around 2 PM. The boys, identified as Uzair Tahir, Sajid Rashid, Hazim Rashid, and Zeyan Tahir – all residents of the village – were playing when the blast occurred, likely triggered by a rusted explosive shell or unexploded ordnance (UXO) buried in the ground, according to preliminary police assessments.
The injured boys suffered shrapnel wounds and fractures and were rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara for immediate treatment, where their conditions are stable, officials confirmed around 4 PM. The most severely injured, Zeyan Tahir, was airlifted to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar for advanced care, while the others – Uzair, Sajid, and Hazim – received care at GMC Handwara and are expected to recover fully. No terror involvement is suspected at this stage, with police ruling out foul play and attributing the incident to leftover ordnance from past conflicts in the area.
Handwara police, in coordination with the Army’s bomb disposal squad, swiftly cordoned off the site by 3 PM and launched a thorough search, securing a 1-km radius around the field near the District Police Lines (DPL). SSP Kupwara, Rakesh Balwal, at a 5 PM briefing: “This appears to be an old UXO detonated accidentally; our teams are combing for more to prevent repeats. Parents are with the boys – they’re brave little fighters.” The explosion’s force shattered the cricket bat and scattered fragments, but the quick response from locals and police minimized further harm.
In Kupwara, a border district with a history of conflict, such incidents are a grim reminder of war’s lingering scars. The area, close to the LoC, saw heavy fighting in the 1990s, leaving behind unexploded munitions that occasionally surface in fields and villages. Similar UXO blasts have claimed 20 lives in north Kashmir since 2020, per J&K Police data, with children most at risk during play. Yesterday’s floods in nearby areas, part of August’s statewide crisis that killed 150 and damaged 4,000 homes, may have loosened soil, dislodging the device. Villagers, 200 strong at a community meeting by 6 PM, urged: “Clear these killing fields – our kids deserve safe spaces.”
The army and police have ramped up UXO awareness drives since 2023, distributing pamphlets and conducting village demos, but experts call for more funding – Rs 10 crore allocated this year for demining in Kupwara alone.