Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Sunday, in which 10 people were killed and 33 others injured. In a message, the TRF warned of more such attacks on "tourists and non-locals" and called the Reasi attack only the "beginning of a renewed start".
A massive search operation has been launched to trace the terrorists. Security has been strengthened in the area, with Home Ministry sources informing media that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been tasked with the probe into the attack.
The incident happened when the bus was returning from Shiv Khori shrine en route to Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The terrorists, hiding in the nearby forest, ambushed the vehicle and opened fire. The driver of the bus was hit by a bullet and lost balance, causing the vehicle to roll down the gorge.
India designated The Resistance Front as a terrorist organisation in 2023. It was founded in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and has been involved in dozens of terror attacks.
Sources told media that two to three terrorists were involved in the Reasi bus attack. The terrorists are part of the same group that carried out other attacks in Rajouri and Poonch over the past month. The terrorists were hiding in the dense vegetation and ambushed the bus on Sunday.
Sources added that the terrorists, with whom no contact has been established so far, have fled Reasi.
According to sources, the terrorists were Pakistanis and were from the same group that has been active in the south of Pir Panjal region for two years.
As part of the search operation, drones are being used to search the dense vegetation around the spot where the attack took place. Furthermore, a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) have joined the operation.
Some of the victims have been identified, news agency PTI reported, citing authorities. Most victims were from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The driver and conductor of the bus, who died in the terror attack, have also been identified, and they are both from Reasi. Among the injured, 34 are from Uttar Pradesh, five from Delhi and two from Rajasthan, PTI reported, citing officials.
Survivors of the attack told media that the terrorists continued firing at the bus despite the vehicle falling into a gorge as a result of the attack. One survivor said that the terrorists came down into the gorge and continued firing for several minutes as passengers stayed quiet to pretend they were all dead.
Police evacuated the passengers by 8.10 pm with the help of local villagers. Reasi Superintendent of Police (SP) supervised the evacuation and rushed the injured to different hospitals. A joint operation headquarters of the police, Indian Army and CRPF was set up at the site and a multi-dimensional operation was launched to get the attackers.
In a tweet, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced financial aid of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims in the Reasi terror attack. Those injured in the incident would be given Rs 50,000.
The Jammu and Kashmir LG further stated that a control room has been created by the district administration to provide all necessary assistance. "A joint security force temporary HQ by J&K Police, Army and CRPF has been set up at the site and operation is in progress to neutralise the perpetrators of Reasi terror attack," he tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation and directed that all the injured are provided with the best possible medical care, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said in a tweet. Besides, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Union Minister Amit Shah, President Droupadi Murmu, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Trinamool Congress supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, among others, condemned the terror attack.
