Militants Attack a Bus in Kashmir, Killing 9 Hindu Pilgrims
In a tragic incident on Sunday, unidentified militants
attacked a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the Indian-controlled region of
Kashmir, resulting in nine deaths and 33 injuries, according to police reports.
The attack occurred on a mountain road as the bus was en route to the renowned
Hindu shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in the Katra region. The militants opened
fire, causing the driver to lose control, and the bus plummeted into a gorge.
Distressing videos shared online and broadcasted by Indian
media depicted bodies scattered along a rocky slope beside the highway. The
police and paramilitary forces concluded search and rescue operations by
Monday, while the search for the assailants remained active. No group has
claimed responsibility for the ambush, but district police indicated that
militants executed a planned attack on the bus.
Mohita Sharma, the Senior Superintendent of Police for the
Jammu and Kashmir region's Reasi district, detailed the incident, stating that
militants attacked the bus around 6 p.m., leading to the driver losing control
and the bus's subsequent fall into the gorge. She mentioned that at least two
militants fled the scene, prompting an ongoing manhunt.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently sworn in for
his third consecutive term just hours before the attack, has reviewed the
situation and called for the best medical care for the injured. Modi’s election
campaign was noted for its Hindu-Muslim sectarian tensions, which critics
argued he exploited for political gains.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Indian National
Congress, condemned the attack as both "saddening" and
"shameful," pointing to the incident as a stark indicator of the
concerning security conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.
This attack is part of a long-standing conflict in Kashmir,
where Pakistan-backed Muslim militant groups and Indian military forces have
clashed for over six decades. The region has witnessed frequent violence and
intermittent escalations, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. India and
Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors, have fought two wars over the predominantly
Muslim Kashmir region, with both nations asserting complete territorial claims
despite its divided administration.
A similar incident in 2017 saw militants attacking a bus of
pilgrims returning from the Amarnath Cave Temple in south Kashmir, leaving
eight dead and 19 injured.
