J&K Terror Attack: 9 Dead, 41 Injured in Bus Ambush; Massive Hunt Underway
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that Sunday evening’s sneak terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the UT’s Reasi district was part of the “despicable plan” of the “enemy of India” to push the otherwise peaceful Jammu region into turmoil. He, however, pldged the government and security forces were determined to thwart this plot.
A massive cordon-and-search-operation is now underway to track down terrorists responsible for Sunday’s attack that left seven pilgrims and the driver and conductor of the ill-fated bus dead, and 41 other passengers injured.
The officials said two militants are believed to have carried out the attack on the 53-seater bus at a place called Kanda. While joint search parties of the J&K police, Central armed police forces and the Army have fanned out in a vast area to capture the assailants alive or dead, separate teams of the National Investigation Agency, the J&K State Investigation Agency (SIA) and the J&K forensic department early Monday visited the spot where the attack took to assist in the investigations.
The bus was on its way to Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, from Shiv Khori, a cave-shrine devoted to Lord Shiva in Sangar village of Reasi’s Pouni area. Reasi’s SSP Mohita Sharma had said on Sunday that apparently the driver of the ill-fated bus lost balance as the bus came under terror attack and it fell into a deep gorge at Kanda near the Teryath village of the Poni area, resulting in casualties.
Seven passengers who died in the incident have been identified as Rajendra Saini (42), his wife Mamta Saini (40), their relative Pooja Saini (30) and her two-year-old son Titu -- all residents of the Jaipur district of Rajasthan -- and Shivam Gupta, Ruby and 14-year-old Anurag Verma from Uttar Pradesh. The other victims are driver Vijay Kumar and conductor Arun Kumar, who were the residents of Dasanoo Rajbagh village and Kandera village of Reasi respectively.
Mr Sinha, who visited the injured pilgrims at various hospitals on Monday, told reporters: “The terrorists targeted the driver of the bus, as a result of which he lost control and the vehicle plunged into a gorge, resulting in the death of nine persons. It is an unfortunate incident.”
He said: “A joint operation by the J&K police, the CRPF and the Army is underway to punish those responsible for the incident. Also, DGP R.R. Swain along with his team is on the spot supervising the anti-terror operation.”
The lieutenant-governor added: “Our immediate priority is saving the lives of those injured. We know there is no compensation for loss of life but to help the families, the administration has approved ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.”
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah are keeping a close watch on the situation and spoke to him immediately after the attack. Mr Sinha said: “Those responsible for the terror attack will not be spared. The attack is part of a nefarious design to somehow spread turmoil to the Jammu region, but we are determined to thwart such an attempt.”
After visiting the injured, Mr Sinha wrote on X: “Met the injured pilgrims at Government Medical College, Jammu & Narayana Hospital, Katra and wished them a speedy recovery. The entire nation stands firmly with the families of martyred pilgrims in this hour of grief”.