Terrorists Attack Pilgrims' Bus in J&K, Causing Tragic Gorge Plunge: 9 Dead, 33 Injured

In a devastating incident, nine pilgrims lost their lives and 33 were injured after terrorists ambushed their bus in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, causing it to plummet into a gorge. 

“We received reports that militants were lying in wait, and they fired on the bus, which had left Shivpuri and was on its way to Katra. As a result, the driver lost control, and the bus fell into a gorge. The rescue operation has been completed; nine people are dead, and the 33 injured have been hospitalized. The people on the bus are not locals, but their identities are yet to be confirmed. So far, we’ve learned that they may be from Uttar Pradesh,” stated Reasi Senior Superintendent of Police Mohita Sharma. 

When asked about potential militant activity in the area, she remarked, “Whenever there’s an incident of militancy, we are on high alert… The Shivpuri shrine had been secured, and in adjoining areas too, we had been conducting area domination activities.”

Senior civil and police officials, including Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Pal Mahajan, accompanied the SSP to the scene. Police and security forces were also engaged in a thorough search operation in the area.

According to local accounts, two masked militants opened fire on the bus, injuring the driver and several passengers. While locals claimed that three passengers died from bullet wounds and others in the crash, officials stated that the exact causes of death would be confirmed after post-mortem examinations.

The victims had visited Shiv Khori, a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva near Ransoo, and were en route to Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Trikuta Hills.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his condolences and said he had spoken to the Lieutenant Governor and the J&K DGP about the incident. “The culprits of this dastardly attack will not be spared and will face the wrath of the law,” he affirmed.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge commented online, stating, “Even while PM 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 the 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) government rings hollow.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi added that the incident highlights “the true picture of the worrying security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.”

This attack in Reasi’s Pouni area, near the Rajouri district, marks the second assault on pilgrims in the region. In May 2022, four Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed, and 24 were injured when a bomb planted by terrorists caused their bus from Katra to Jammu to catch fire.

Since 2021, militant attacks in the Rajouri and Poonch districts have claimed the lives of 38 soldiers and 11 civilians.