A couple of hours before Narendra Modi took oath of office as Prime Minister in New Delhi on November 9 (Sunday), terrorists struck near Teryath in Reasi district of Jammu-Kashmir. A group of three or four terrorists ambushed a passenger bus going from Shiv Khori shrine to Katra which serves as base camp for revered cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. Nine pilgrims, including a toddler of two years, lost their lives as terrorists fired bullets on the bus which fell into a gorge. At least 42 passengers were injured in the firing and as a result of the targeted bus veering away from the road.
The injured passengers were sent to a hospital in Reasi, Government Medical College & Hospital at Jammu besides super speciality Narayana Hospital near Katra. Deputy Commissioner of Reasi Vishesh Mahajan and SSP of Reasi Mohita Sharma looked after the rescue operations to provide assistance to the injured. The passengers travelling in the bus later told the police that one terrorist, wearing an Army combat uniform, stood in the middle of the road and fired upon the driver.
Survivors recall the horror
“I went for darshan of Shiv Khori. While returning, some people opened fire on our bus. Later, the bus fell into a ditch. Several people were injured in the incident. The firing did not stop even after the bus fell. I think there were 2-3 (terrorists) there. My son saw a man firing on our bus from behind,” a survivor
told media.
“After having darshan at Mata Vaishno Devi, I went to Shiv Khori. While returning from there, after 4-5 km, bullets were fired on our bus. The driver was shot, and then some people were also injured in the firing,” another survivor also told to media
The bus fell into a gorge on the side of the road as the driver got hit and lost control over the steering. Some more terrorists were hiding in the forested area along the road and they, too, fired upon the bus, they said. The terrorists remained on the spot for at least 10 minutes before vanishing into the dense forests nearby by the time rescue teams arrived on the scene.
Four persons of a family from Jaipur were among those killed and five others, who died, hailed from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Sorav Gupta of Mandaoli in North-East Delhi was killed when a bullet hit him in the neck. He was sitting right behind the driver and raised an alarm on seeing the terrorist standing on the road. His wife Shivani Gupta suffered fractures in the legs and face but survived.
According to the police and intelligence officials, the attack was carried out by a group of four Pakistani terrorists with the help of some local associate/s. The police said that this was probably the same group which carried out an attack on May 4 at Sanai Nallah and December 21 last year in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district. The intelligence officials have also said that the terrorists are using secured communication equipment to get instructions from across the border.
Healing Touch
Next day, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the injured in Jammu as well as Katra hospitals and announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the dead and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured. Sinha said those responsible for the heinous attack would be brought to book. In a related development, the security agencies have announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for actionable intelligence/information regarding the perpetrators. Sketches of the terrorists have also been released by the intelligence agencies as these were prepared based on eyewitness accounts. Late on Tuesday evening, a group of terrorists struck Saida village (near Kootah) of Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua district and fired at a village house injuring the owner. The terrorists had entered the village around 8 pm, demanding water and food from the house owner. However, he dodged the terrorists and tried to run away from there. Rumours regarding some villagers being taken hostage by terrorists started on some social media posts but these were swiftly denied by the police. On Monday evening, suspected terrorists had slit the throat of a local chemist near Hiranagar. This killing could be the handiwork of the group of terrorists who were found at Saida later. Or it could have been carried out by bovine smugglers, according to some local residents of Hiranagar.
‘Reasi Attack Shows Pakistan’s Frustration’
When Pakistan began losing ground in the Kashmir Valley, with decreasing terror incidents and fewer recruits and infiltrators, it shifted its strategy to focus on the Jammu region. The area, particularly Rajouri-Poonch and Doda-Kishtwar, is hilly, thickly forested, and sparsely populated, making it easier for militants to infiltrate, especially through the Rajouri-Poonch sector. This area saw the infiltration of battle-hardened, Afghan-trained terrorists equipped with sophisticated American weapons left in Afghanistan and steel bullets procured from China. Some were accompanied by regular Pakistani army personnel.
Estimates suggest that these infiltrators number between 20 to 30, operating in smaller groups. They are experts in guerrilla and jungle warfare and have attacked the Indian Army at multiple locations in Poonch and Rajouri. The Pakistani strategy appears to be a concerted effort to destabilise the Jammu region. A few weeks ago, a Village Defence Committee (VDC) member was martyred during an encounter in Basantgarh, Udhampur district. This attack was part of a larger group of 7-8 infiltrators, divided into smaller groups and moving towards Doda, Bhadarwah, and Kathua districts.
The current challenge lies in intelligence gathering. Unlike the Kashmir Valley, where terrorists’ mobile phone usage allowed for location tracking, militants in Rajouri-Poonch use internet-based communication with encrypted messages, making interception difficult. Therefore, there is a crucial need for human intelligence. One effective strategy could be to recruit local young people from the Rajouri-Poonch belt, integrating them with the Indian Army and J&K Police. These locals are familiar with the terrain and could provide valuable information on forest areas and hidden paths.
The Indian Army is well-equipped with advanced weaponry, firepower, and tactics, and the J&K Police is highly experienced. With better coordination and the cooperation of locals and Village Defence Groups (VDGs), significant progress can be made in countering these threats.
This escalation coincided with the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Modi’s new Cabinet, highlighting Pakistan’s irritation at being isolated by India. By not being invited to regional gatherings hosted by India, Pakistan aimed to send a message to the new Modi government. However, underestimating PM Modi’s response could lead to significant repercussions for Pakistan. If we know him, he will hit them hard and Pakistan will realise what mistake they have made.
(As Told to Nishant Kumar Azad)
Soon thereafter, an encounter started as teams of security forces (BSF, police and the Army) laid a cordon. In the first few hours of the encounter, two terrorists were killed and early in the morning a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) man lost his life as terrorists resumed firing.
One terrorist hiding in the area fired upon the vehicle carrying SSP Kathua and DIG of Jammu-Samba-Kathua range when they were proceeding to the encounter site. However, both the officers escaped unhurt but the Scorpio vehicle in which they were travelling suffered some damage. The police have seized arms and ammunition, besides Rs 1 lakh in Indian currency (2 bundles of Rs 500), from the encounter site. (Please update from Internet. The encounter was continuing at the time of filing the report.)
The return of Ram to Ayodhya, the return of Kashmir to the mainstream by repealing Article 370, unification of Hindus beyond caste/ethnic identities are all once-in-many-centuries accomplishments
The seizure were one AK-47 rifle, a rucksack, three live hand grenades, three magazines containing 30 rounds, 75 rounds in a separate polythene bag and some eatables (Pakistan made chocolate, dry chana and chapatis). The other material seized from the spot included Pakistan made medicines and injections (pain-killers), two packs of A4 batteries, one handset (wireless) with antenna wrapped in tape and two wires hanging from the handset. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Jain said it was a freshly infiltrated group that had been caught in this encounter at Hiranagar.
“This is a national security challenge posed by hostile elements from across the border. Instead of engaging the police in maintenance of law and order management, the citizens are requested to assist and cooperate with police so that it can complete the operations successfully and kill the terrorists,’’ an official statement issued by the police said.
Incidentally, the international border with Pakistan runs parallel to National Highway 44 (NH44) that connects Pathankot to Jammu. The Pakistan area lies to the South of the highway and all the infiltrating groups need is to move North from its territory. Another encounter started at Chhatargala in Doda on Tuesday when terrorists fired upon a joint naka of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and local police. The security forces retaliated and cordoned off a large area in a bid to neutralise the terrorists. They also ordered closure of road between Bhaderwah and Pathankot to carry out their operations.
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