‘Culprits of this dastardly attack will not be spared’: Amit Shah on Reasi Terror Attack

Attack in Indian-Controlled Kashmir: Militants Fire on Hindu Pilgrims’ Bus

India is investigating an attack by suspected militants who fired at a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing nine and injuring 33, officials said Monday.

The attack, which occurred on Sunday, caused the bus to plunge into a deep gorge in Jammu province’s Reasi district. The vehicle was transporting pilgrims to the base camp of the renowned Hindu temple Mata Vaishno Devi.

Union Minister Amit Shah has said that those responsible for the heinous act of terror against pilgrims in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, would not escape punishment and would have to face the full force of the law.

Shah said shortly after taking the oath of office as Union Minister for the second time on Sunday that he had spoken with DGP R R Swain and Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and assessed the situation following the terror attack, which has so far claimed nine lives.

“Deeply pained by the incident of the attack on pilgrims in Reasi, J&K. Spoke to the Lieutenant Governor and the DGP, J&K, and inquired about the incident. The culprits of this dastardly attack will not be spared and will face the wrath of the law,” he wrote on ‘X’.

While the new government’s ministries are still being determined, Shah served as the Union Home Minister in the previous administration. But it’s possible that he’ll stay on in this government as the Home Minister as well. According to Shah, the local government is putting forth a war effort to offer emergency medical care.

“May the Almighty provide the departed’s loved ones the fortitude to endure this suffering. I also wish for the afflicted to heal quickly,” he remarked.

Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir was the scene of a terrorist ambush on Sunday evening that resulted in nine people—three of them women—being killed and 33 injured on a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi plunging into a deep gorge. The attack was strongly denounced by political leaders from all parties.

While travelling from Shiv Khori temple to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra near Teryath hamlet in the Poni region, the terrorists opened fire on the bus. Around six fifteen in the evening, the 53-seat bus lost control of its path and fell into the deep gorge.

“An terrible occurrence happened, and according to preliminary reports, the bus that was leaving Shiv Khori for Katra was ambushed by terrorists who then opened fire. Reporters were met at the scene by Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Mohita Sharma, who stated that the driver lost balance and the vehicle crashed into the gorge.

According to Sharma, the rescue effort is now complete, and the 33 injured people and nine dead victims have been taken to various hospitals.

The official stated, “Preliminary reports suggest that all of the deceased are from Uttar Pradesh, though their identities are still unknown.”

Sharma stated that for the past few days, they have been conducting frequent area domination patrols in the surrounding areas, keeping a close eye on the Shiv Khori temple and maintaining a high state of alertness.

The SSP stated, “We have also begun firing drills for the Village Defence Guards, and they have all been placed on alert.”

Reasi Vishesh Paul Mahajan, Deputy Commissioner, who also arrived on the scene to oversee rescue and search efforts, reported that three of the deceased were female.

It was not immediately obvious whether any of the deceased were also injured by the gunfire, he added. “While the bodies of four persons are in a hospital near the site, five others were shifted to district hospital Reasi,” he said.

Numerous factions staged demonstrations against the terror attack in various parts of the Jammu division, including Reasi, and called for harsh punishment for those responsible.

Historically, the Reasi district had not experienced as much terrorism as other regions such as Rajouri and Poonch.

Locals arrived at the scene quickly and began helping the injured. Witnesses gave terrifying details of the assault; one survivor said the bus was hit by 25 to 30 gunshots before it fell into the gorge.

Another witness remembered seeing someone fire on the bus while wearing a red silencer and mask. For treatment, the hurt pilgrims were flown to Teryath Hospital, Narayan Hospital, and Reasi District Hospital.

“We were scheduled to depart at 4 p.m., but the bus departed at approximately 5.30 p.m. and unexpectedly encountered gunfire,” stated a wounded pilgrim from Banaras who was brought to Teryath hospital.

“I was sitting next to the bus driver and the vehicle was coming downhill from dense forests when I saw a man wearing army-like clothes and covering his face and head with black cloth appear in front of the bus and fire indiscriminately,” stated Santosh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, who was admitted to the district hospital.

He added that the terrorists kept firing on the bus for several minutes before saying, “The driver was hit in the firing and the bus plunged into the gorge.”

Before several locals came and assisted us, we were left in the gorge in a desperate situation. Later on, some police officers also made it,” he stated.

A multimodal operation has been begun to apprehend the assailants, and a temporary operation headquarters consisting of the Police, Army, and CRPF joint security force has been established at the site.

To find and destroy the terrorists responsible for the horrific act, security officers from Reasi and the nearby Rajouri district were sent in for a thorough search.

According to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the prime minister assessed the situation following the incident and gave him instructions to keep a close eye on things and make sure the impacted families received all the assistance they could.

“This horrible deed’s perpetrators will all face consequences shortly. The PM has also instructed that all injured parties receive the finest medical care and support available,” he stated.

The Congress said the incident reflects the true picture of the worrying security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Even while PM, Shri Narendra Modi and his NDA Government 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.. .”

Former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), besides UP CM Yogi Adityanath, also condemned the terrorist attack.

“Terrible news from Reasi in J&K … I unequivocally condemn this attack. It is unfortunate to see areas that had previously been cleared of all militants see a return of militancy. May the deceased rest in peace & may the injured make a swift recovery,” Omar posted on X.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), in the meantime, vehemently denounced the terrorist attack and called for tough measures against terror organisations as well as total sanitization of the area to rid it of terrorists.

In the last thirty years, there have been two terrorist attacks on pilgrimage buses in Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to that, in July 2017, militants opened fire on a bus transporting pilgrims going to Amarnath in Kashmir’s Anantnag area, killing seven of the passengers and wounding nineteen more.

Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson said in a statement that a bus carrying yatris from Shiv Khori to Katra was targeted “apparently by terrorists using firearms” at about 6.10 PM in the Pouni area of Reasi district bordering Rajouri district.

The driver was hit and lost control, resulting in the bus sliding into the nearby gorge.

“With the help of local villagers, police have evacuated all the passengers by 8.10 pm. SP Reasi supervised the evacuation and dispatched the injured to different hospitals.

The 33 injured have been referred to various hospitals — 13 in Reasi, five in Community Health Centre Treyath and 15 to GMC in Jammu.

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