(Image source from: hindi.news18.com)

The Pakistan-backed terrorist group, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. The incident resulted in 10 deaths and 33 injuries. In a statement, the TRF threatened more such attacks on "tourists and non-locals," declaring the Reasi attack as just the "beginning of a renewed start." Authorities have launched a massive search operation to apprehend the perpetrators, and security has been heightened in the area. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been tasked with investigating the attack, which occurred as the bus was returning from the Shiv Khori shrine en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine's base camp in Katra. The terrorists, who were hiding in the nearby forest, ambushed the vehicle and opened fire, causing the driver to lose control and the bus to roll down the gorge. The Resistance Front was designated as a terrorist organization by India in 2023, following its establishment in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The group has been involved in numerous terror attacks since its inception. Three militants were involved in the attack on a bus in Reasi. They were part of the same group that had carried out previous assaults in Rajouri and Poonch over the last month. The militants were hiding in the dense foliage and ambushed the bus on Sunday.

According to sources, the militants, who have not been contacted so far, have fled Reasi. They were Pakistanis and belonged to the same group that has been active in the southern Pir Panjal region for two years. As part of the search operation, drones are being used to comb the dense vegetation around the attack site. Additionally, a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory has joined the operation. Some of the victims have been identified, as reported by the news agency PTI, citing authorities. Most of the casualties were from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The bus driver and conductor, who lost their lives in the terror attack, were also from Reasi. Among the injured, 34 were from Uttar Pradesh, five from Delhi, and two from Rajasthan, as reported by PTI, citing officials. Despite the vehicle tumbling into a deep ravine due to the assault, some managed to survive. One individual who escaped the ordeal recounted that the assailants descended into the gorge and persistently opened fire for an extended period, as the passengers remained silent, feigning lifelessness in a desperate bid to evade further harm.

The police evacuated the passengers with the help of the villagers at 8:10 p.m. Superintendent of Police (SP) Riazi supervised the evacuation and shifted the injured to various hospitals. A joint operation center of police, Indian Army and CRPF was set up at the spot and a multi-phase operation was launched to nab the attackers. Jammu and Kashmir Governor General Manoj Sinha announced on his Twitter account that a payment of Rs 10 lakh will be made to the families of those killed in the Riaz attack. Those injured in the accident will pay 50,000 rubles. The Jammu and Kashmir LG added that the district administration has set up a control room to provide all necessary support. "A joint security force comprising Jhandke Police, Army and CRPF has been deployed at the site and operations are underway to neutralize the perpetrators of the Riaz attack," he tweeted. Lt Gen Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha tweeted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reviewed the situation and best medical care is being provided to all the injured. National Conference Party President Omar Abdullah, Union Minister Amit Shah, President Draupadi Murmu, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress Supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned the terror attack.