Nine pilgrims were killed and 33 injured after terrorists fired at a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi, which led to the vehicle falling into a gorge.
Police sources said they had received reports that militants were lying in wait. The militants fired at the bus, which had left Shivpuri and was on its way to Katra. The driver lost control and the bus fell into a gorge. Rescue operations have been completed – nine people are dead, and the 33 injured are hospitalised.
The passengers on the bus are not locals, but their identities are yet to be confirmed. They are likely to be from Uttar Pradesh, according to police sources.
Locals say two militants wearing masks fire at 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-mortems.
Earlier bus attack
Since 2021, 38 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in militant attacks in Rajouri and Poonch districts. 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.
The victims of the Reasi attack, after visiting Shiv Khori, a Lord Shiva shrine, were on their way to Katra town, which is the base for visitors to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Trikuta Hills.
Union 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”.
