J&K terror attack survivors ‘pretended to be dead’

Three people are feared to have been killed after a bus carrying pilgrims from a temple in Jammu and Kashmir was fired upon by suspected terrorists on the evening of Sunday, June 9. Police, ambulance and paramilitary forces rushed to the spot while locals also helped in the rescue operations and offered assistance. 

According to PTI, the bus came under attack in Teryath village in Poni area. 

As per reports, the bus was returning from Shivkhoda temple to Katra, when it came under attack. 

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A SURVIVOR of the Reasi attack said on Monday that the terrorists kept firing at the bus even after it fell into a gorge to “ensure everyone was killed”, according to a report by India Today TV. The survivor added that passengers pretended to be dead to survive.

“They were six to seven terrorists with their faces covered with masks. Initially, they fired on the bus by covering it from all sides of the road. When the bus fell, they came towards it and kept firing to ensure everyone was killed,” one survivor told India Today.

“I saw one of the terrorists firing at the bus. He kept firing at the bus for 20 minutes even after it fell into a gorge,” another survivor told India Today.

The eyewitness said that passengers remianed silent to make the terrorists believe they were dead.

“The incident happened 30 minutes after we took the bus for Vaishno Devi from Shivkhorhi (Reasi) at 6 pm (on Sunday). We were afraid and just wanted to get back to our homes. There were kids and women also on the bus, and all got injured. Police and locals arrived to rescue us after 10 to 15 mins of this attack,” the survivor added.

One survivor also spoke to ANI about the attack. “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…”

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has authorised an ex-gratia payment of ₹10 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the Reasi bus terror attack on Sunday, PTI reported, citing an announcement made by an official spokesman on June 10.

Additionally, the report added that Sinha has sanctioned ₹50,000 for each person injured in the attack.

“A control room has been created by the district administration to provide all necessary assistance to those affected. Efforts are on to neutralise the perpetrators of the terror attack,” the spokesman said.

The incident occurred on June 9 (Sunday), when terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims in J&K's Reasi district. Nine people were killed, and 41 others were injured in the attack on the 53-seater bus.

The vehicle was travelling from Shiv Khori temple to Katra when it veered off the road and, after coming under fire, plunged into a deep gorge near Teryath village in the Poni area.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team has reached Reasi to assist the police in assessing the ground situation, officials said on Monday. The NIA's forensic team is also trying to aid evidence collection from the ground, said sources.

Security forces launched a massive cordon and search operation on June 10 to track down terrorists responsible for the attack.

Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) has taken credit for the Reasi terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a Hindustan Times report. On Sunday evening, LeT's front TRF took credit for the terror attack.

This move aimed to portray the attack as the work of local militants in Jammu and Kashmir rather than foreign extremists operating from Lahore.