2024 Reasi attack

The 2024 Reasi attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 9 June, 2024 in the Reasi district of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Several unidentified militants opened fire on a passenger bus boarded by Hindu pilgrims travelling from the Shiv Khori cave to Katra, causing it to lose control and plummet into a deep gorge,^[3] followed by further firing at the crashed bus by the gunmen.^[4] Nine people were killed in the attack, and an additional 41 were injured.^[5]

The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the ambush^[6] but later denied involvement,^[7] while the Jammu and Kashmir Police believes that the ambush was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba, of which the TRF is considered a front.^[5]

Background

The Jammu and Kashmir region, which both India and Pakistan claim fully but only exert partial administration, has been the pinpoint of a decades-long conflict between the two states. They have fought two wars over the territory since 1947. Since 1989, the conflict has devolved into an armed resistance against Indian control. India has claimed Pakistan of backing and harbouring the militants, which it denies.^[8]

Eight civilians were killed in the territory in the first five months of 2024. Militant incidents in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu division have risen over the past four years, with mainly security forces being targeted.^[9]

Attack

At approximately 6:15 p.m. on 9 June 2024, militants armed with firearms ambushed a 53-seater Yatri passenger bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Teryath village, firing between 25 and 30 gunshots indiscriminately. The driver was struck by gunfire, causing them to lose control and plunge into a gorge.^[10] Even after the bus crashed into the gorge, the firing continued.^[4] Nine people, including a two-year-old and a 14-year-old, were killed and 41 were injured. The victims were from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.^[8][5] At least ten victims had gunshot wounds,^[11] and empty cartridges were recovered at the scene.^[12][13] The ambush happened about an hour before Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister.^[14]

Responsibility

Three foreign militants and one suspected local, who acted as a lookout, partook in the ambush.^[11] The gunmen reportedly used American-made M4 carbine assault rifles,^[15] a rifle commonly used by Pakistani Special Forces.^[16][17] The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility for the ambush but later denied involvement.^[6] People's Anti-Fascist Front and Revival of Resistance, both offshoots of Jaish-e-Mohammed, denied involvement after initially claiming to be behind the ambush.^[18] The Jammu and Kashmir Police stated that it believed the Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible.^[5] The actual perpetrators are yet to be determined by the Indian investigators. Fifty people were detained in relation to the ambush by the Reasi district police.^[19] A local of Rajouri district was arrested on 19 June over allegations of sheltering the militants and acting as their guide.^[20]

Aftermath

A search and rescue operation was conducted following the ambush, during which security personnel and a military helicopter were dispatched.^[21][22] Survivors were treated at nearby hospitals. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha announced a compensation of one million (10 Lakhs) Indian rupees for the dead and 50,000 rupees for the injured.^[8]

The Jammu and Kashmir Police, Indian Army, and Central Reserve Police Force launched a manhunt for the militants.^[23][8] The search was concentrated around the Teryath-Poni-Shiv Khori area, and included unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), detection dogs, and village defence committees.^[11] At least two of the militants are reportedly hiding in the upper region of Reasi, which is forested and could hamper search attempts.^[15] The investigation of the ambush was transferred to the National Investigation Agency by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 17 June.^[24]

Further attacks and incidents

A series of fresh militant attacks has been taking place since December 2023, when militants killed four Indian soldiers.^[25] Several armed encounters happened in the Jammu Division within days of the attack in Reasi. On June 11, one civilian was shot at by a gunman in Kathua's Hira Nagar area, and a second encounter took place in Doda's Chattergala area, in which seven security forces' personnel were wounded.^[26] A search operation was launched by security forces in Kathua, during which a gunfight broke out between them and militants, resulting in the deaths of a CRPF soldier and both of the militants. Several Pakistan-made items were found in the possession of the two militants, including ₹500 notes worth ₹1 lakh. They also possessed Pakistan-made chocolates, dry channa, stale chapatis, medicines, painkiller injections, two packs of A4 battery cells, and one handset with an antenna and two wires hanging from it. According to the police in Kathua, the militants had one M4 carbine and one AK-47 rifle.^[25][27] Another encounter ensued on 12 June in Doda's Gandoh area, in which one policeman was injured.^[28]

Reactions

Local

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation after the attack, while Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha stated that Modi has told him to monitor the situation. President Droupadi Murmu said that she was anguished by the attack, and Union Minister Amit Shah vowed that the perpetrators would face "the wrath of the law".^[29] Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale vowed to go to war with Pakistan if such attacks persisted.^[30]

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the attack cowardly and said that he was deeply saddened by it.^[31] Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge condemned it, and said that "[Modi's] chest-thumping propaganda of bringing peace and normalcy … rings hollow".^[32]

Several political organizations condemned the attack, including All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Communist Party of India (Marxist).^[33][34] A number of Muslim parties also joined in condemning it. The Indian Youth Congress held a candle march for the victims, while several anti-Pakistan protests broke out across the Jammu division.^[30][11]

Media

Several Indian celebrities condemned or voiced condolences over the attack, including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Ajay Devgn, Varun Dhawan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, Preity Zinta, Rakul Preet Singh, Raai Laxmi, Esha Gupta, Bipasha Basu, Atlee, Varun Tej, Riteish Deshmukh, Sudhanshu Pandey, Urfi Javed, Anupam Kher, Soni Razdan, Kapil Sharma, Hina Khan, and Aly Goni.^[35][36]

Social media platform Instagram reportedly censored the hashtag "#AllEyesOnReasi", which was being used in posts condemning the attack.^[37] Writing for The Wire, journalist Tanushree Pandey called the hashtag as a symbol of hate, which was used to divide the country.^[38]

Pakistani reaction

Pakistani cricketer, Hasan Ali and his wife, Samiya condemned the militant ambush, by posting a story on Instagram with an AI-generated image, with added text saying "All Eyes on Vaishno Devi Attack".^[39] The post went viral^[40] and social media reactions to Ali's post were mixed, winning loads of praises from Indians^[41] and bombarded with death threats from Pakistanis.^[42] Ali responded to the threats by posting a second story on his Instagram, maintaining his stance,^[43] and stating that he always stands for peace.^[43]

See also

• 2017 Amarnath Yatra attack
• 2023 Rajouri attacks
• List of terrorist incidents in India

References