The broken within the bus carrying pilgrims that was ambushed by terrorists, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI Photograph)
On Sunday night, June 9, as Narendra Modi ready to take the oath as Prime Minister for his third time period, a bus carrying pilgrims from a Hindu spiritual shrine was attacked by suspected militants within the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The assault resulted within the deaths of not less than 9 passengers and accidents to greater than 40 others. Among the many victims had been the bus driver, the conductor, and a two-year-old little one.
This incident marks probably the most deadly militant strike on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir this yr. It’s significantly regarding because it occurred in an space extensively thought of militancy-free, suggesting that militant actions from neighbouring Rajouri and Poonch districts have now unfold to Reasi.
That is the second assault on pilgrims in Reasi since 2022. In Might that yr, 4 pilgrims had been killed and round 24 injured when a bus getting back from the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine caught hearth. Preliminary stories categorised the incident as an accident, however later investigations revealed that militants had planted bombs on the bus.
The latest assault is prone to problem the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP)-led Union authorities, which has asserted that its resolution to scrap Article 370 and downgrade Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory has introduced peace to the area. The BJP has additionally cited the rise in vacationers to the Union Territory as proof of normalcy since 2019. On Monday, the Congress criticised the Modi authorities for the deteriorating safety state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir.
Horrible information from Reasi in J&Ok the place 10 yatris have reportedly misplaced their lives & many extra are injured after a terror assault on a bus. I unequivocally condemn this assault. It’s unlucky to see areas that had beforehand been cleared of all militants see a return of… https://t.co/cNJ1FZ2lhP
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 9, 2024
Hub of non secular tourism
Reasi district is outstanding for spiritual tourism within the Hindu-majority Jammu area. In line with the 2011 census, Muslims make up 50 per cent of the district’s inhabitants, whereas Hindus account for 49 per cent. Yearly, over 10 million pilgrims from throughout the nation go to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, a city with quite a few accommodations, dhabas, and visitor homes.
Pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi typically lengthen their journey to the Shiv Khori cave, with Katra city serving because the widespread base camp. The Shiv Khori shrine in Ransoo, the place the victims of Sunday’s assault had gone to hope, attracts practically 2 million guests yearly.
The assault
In line with police stories, the bus was attacked round 6:10 pm on Sunday because it returned from the Shiv Khori shrine to Katra city, roughly 72 km away. Eyewitnesses recounted the horror, saying that two to 3 masked militants opened hearth on the bus close to Kanda village within the Taryath space.
The street the place the assault occurred connects Reasi with Rajouri district. The mountainous and treacherous terrain, with dense forest cowl, typically favours the assailants.
Since 2021, Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu’s Pir Panjal area have skilled a number of precision strikes by militants, inflicting vital losses to safety forces and focused assaults on civilians.
No less than 50 individuals had been on board when the assault befell. Whereas the motive force and the conductor had been native residents of Jammu, the passengers hailed from numerous states, together with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Among the many deceased, 4 had been from Rajasthan, and three had been from Uttar Pradesh.
Militants escalate assaults
Following the assault, police collected empty bullet cartridges, indicating the usage of subtle weapons by the militants.
“The thought [behind the attack] is to instill worry amongst individuals, significantly pilgrims,” stated a former police officer who requested anonymity. “However the bigger message appears that terrorists working within the belt are feeling a bit emboldened. Safety companies must do extra.”
Final month, militants focused an Indian Air Drive convoy within the Surankote space of Poonch district, ensuing within the loss of life of 1 airman and accidents to 4 others. Regardless of an enormous search operation by safety forces, the militants managed to flee. A short trade of fireside occurred in Poonch’s Marha Buffliaz on Might 31, however the militants as soon as once more evaded seize.
A brand new problem
Sunday’s assault presents a contemporary problem for safety forces within the Pir Panjal area.
The resurgence of militant actions in Reasi, after greater than 20 years of peace, is alarming. The final vital militant exercise in Reasi occurred within the mid-Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s, with a number of massacres of Hindus. Throughout that interval, as safety forces cracked down on militancy in Kashmir Valley, the insurgency spilled over into the Jammu area.
An identical sample has emerged for the reason that revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s particular standing underneath Article 370 and the top of its statehood. With New Delhi cracking down on militancy and separatist assist techniques, armed violence within the Kashmir Valley has decreased considerably. Nonetheless, there was a resurgence of militant assaults within the mountainous Pir Panjal belt of Jammu area.
On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha acknowledged that the culprits behind the assault wouldn’t be spared. “The assault is a part of a nefarious design to by some means unfold turmoil to the Jammu area, however we’re decided to thwart such an try,” Sinha added.
First Revealed: Jun 11 2024 | 4:28 PM IST
