Unquiet Flows The Tawi

The recent attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district spotlights Jammu’s increased vulnerability to militancy

- Naseer Ganai in Reasi

JUNE 9 was a special day for Shamsher Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) mandal prabhari of Pouni tehsil in Jammu’s Reasi district. Forty-six-year-old Singh had planned to watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony on TV with his wife and two children. In anticipation, he drove from Pouni to his home in Ransoo village, nestled in the hills, which incidentally is also a base camp for pilgrims visiting the Shiv Khori shrine.

The 20 km journey from Pouni to Ransoo is a serpentine route, characterised by its frequent slopes and sharp bends. On one side of the road lies the Kanda area, a deep gorge offering breathtaking views. The other side is flanked by towering hills called Kadol Kala, covered with dense forests. This scenic road winds through rugged terrain, eventually leading to the Shiv Khori shrine.

Along the way, travellers also encounter the tranquil shrine of Pir Baba, adding to the route’s spiritual allure.

Just as the oath-taking ceremony was about to begin, tragedy filtered into Singh’s neighbourhood. A bus carrying pilgrims had met with an accident in Kanda, located between Bhamblya and Ransoo villages, he heard. Soon, it was revealed that militants had attacked the bus. Singh rushed to the scene, where he was confronted with the sight of ambulances with blaring sirens, the wailing injured and mute bodies. He stayed awake the entire night, working with volunteers at the accident site.

The tragedy occurred on June 9, at 6:10 pm, when militants ambushed a bus carrying pilgrims from the Shiv Khori shrine to Katra. They fired at the driver, causing the bus to plunge into the Kanda gorge. Nine people were killed and 31 others were wounded. Trees in the deep gorge briefly impeded the bus’s descent, but the out-of-control vehicle fell further under its own weight.