9 dead, 33 injured as bus carrying pilgrims comes under terrorist fire, falls into gorge in J&K | India News
Nine pilgrims were killed and 33 injured after terrorists fired on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi, which resulted in the vehicle plunging into a gorge.
“We received reports that militants were lying in wait, and they fired on the bus, which had left Shivpuri and was on its way to Katra. As a result, the driver lost control and the bus fell into a gorge. Rescue operation has been completed – nine people are dead, and the 33 injured have been hospitalised. The people (in the bus) are not locals, but their identities are yet to be confirmed. So far, we’ve learnt that they may be from Uttar Pradesh,” the Reasi Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohita Sharma, said.
Asked if there were inputs about militant activity in the area, she said, “Whenever there’s an incident of militancy, we are on high alert… The Shivpuri shrine had been secured, and in adjoining areas too, we had been conducting area domination activities.”
The SSP along with senior civil and police officials, including Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Pal Mahajan, were at the spot. Police and security forces were also conducting a search operation there, officials said.
According to locals, two militants wearing masks opened fire on the bus, hitting the driver and some passengers. While locals said three passengers had died of bullet injuries, and the rest in the bus crash, officials said this can only be confirmed after the post-mortem.
The victims, after visiting Shiv Khori – a Lord Shiva shrine near Ransoo – were on their way to Katra town, which acts as a base camp for those visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Trikuta Hills.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he had spoken to the Lieutenant Governor and the J&K DGP, and inquired about the incident. “The culprits of this dastardly attack will not be spared and will face the wrath of the law,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post online, wrote, “Even while PM Narendra Modi and his NDA Govt get sworn in and heads of several countries are in the country, a dastardly terrorist attack on a bus carrying pilgrims has resulted in loss of lives… Just three weeks ago, tourists were fired upon in Pahalgam, and several terror incidents in Jammu & Kashmir are continuing unabated. All the chest-thumping propaganda of bringing peace and normalcy by the Modi (now NDA) Govt rings hollow.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the incident reflects “the true picture of the worrying security situation in Jammu and Kashmir”.
The terror attack in Reasi’s Pouni area, close to the adjoining Rajouri district, is the second such targeting of pilgrims in the district. In May 2022, four Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed and 24 injured when a bus from Katra to Jammu caught fire because of a bomb planted by terrorists.
Since 2021, 38 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in militant attacks in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
First uploaded on: 09-06-2024 at 20:00 IST
Source link
