Indian police have stated that on Sunday, June 9, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in the Indian federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir was suspected to have been attacked by armed militants and plunged into a deep valley, resulting in at least 9 deaths and 33 injuries.
It was the day of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in ceremony for his rare third term in office.
This incident has drawn criticism from the main opposition party, the Congress Party. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi took to the social media platform X to say, “This shameful incident is a true reflection of the worrying security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Pakistan also claims sovereignty over this Himalayan region. Since the start of the anti-India insurgency in 1989, the region has been plagued by violent extremism. Despite a decrease in violence in recent years, tens of thousands of people have lost their lives.
Mohita Sharma, the Superintendent of Police in the Reasi district, stated that the militants ambushed the bus and indiscriminately opened fire, causing 9 deaths and 33 injuries as the bus plunged into the gorge.
The last major attack targeting Hindu pilgrims in the region occurred in 2017 when a bus was targeted, resulting in 8 deaths.
A day before the Sunday attack, officer RR Swain mentioned that the number of local militants in the region was decreasing, but 70 to 80 foreign militants were still active.
In a statement, the police mentioned that the injured have been taken to nearby hospitals. A search operation to track down the attackers has been launched.