Jammu. A massive operation is underway to capture three foreign terrorists responsible for the attack on a bus in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. Officials involved in the investigation of the incident gave this information on Monday. These three foreign terrorists probably belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Nine people, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 41 others were injured in this attack on Sunday.
Based on the statements of those injured in the attack, the officials have not ruled out the possibility that there was a fourth person present at the spot who helped the three terrorists. The terrorists opened fire on the bus when it was going from Shiv Khodi temple to Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Katra. Due to the attack, the bus slipped off the road near Teryath village in Poni area of Riyasi and fell into a deep gorge. The bus was carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.
After the attack, the police, army, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and central intelligence agencies launched a joint investigation operation. Officials said that passengers who survived the attack are recording their statements while the search operation is on to trace the perpetrators of this act.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a group affiliated with the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, had initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted its statement. Those killed in the attack include Titu Sahni (2) from Rajasthan and his mother Pooja. They are among the four people from the state who lost their lives in the attack. Three of the dead are from Uttar Pradesh. The bus driver and conductor, both from Reasi, were among the dead. Officials said five of the nine people were shot in the attack.
He said that 41 people were injured in the attack, out of which 10 were shot. Some of the injured are being treated in hospitals in Jammu and Reasi districts. Security forces suspect that terrorists are hiding in the mountainous areas of Rajouri and Reasi and have intensified the search operation in the area.
Reasi Senior Superintendent of Police Mohit Sharma said, “A search operation has been launched in the area.” Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha met the injured passengers admitted in hospitals on Monday and said that this terrorist attack is part of a nefarious conspiracy to spread unrest in the Jammu region.
Expressing solidarity with the victim families, the administration has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Sinha said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah have been informed about the situation. At the same time, the separatist organization Hurriyat Conference condemned the terrorist attack and said that it condemns and will continue to condemn all forms of violence against humanity.
Meanwhile, anti-Pakistan protests took place across Jammu region including Katra, Doda city and Kathua district. The protests demanded increased security arrangements to prevent such incidents. The protesters accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded action against the neighbouring country.