Hindu pilgrims attacked in Reasi by Islamic terrorists

Case ID : 0b66dac | Location : Riasi, Jammu and Kashmir, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 8 June, 2024

Case ID : 0b66dac

Riasi, Jammu and Kashmir, India

8 June, 2024

Hindu pilgrims attacked in Reasi by Islamic terrorists

Attack resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

An Islamic terror attack occurred in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district when terrorists fired on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims from the Shiv Khori temple, causing it to fall into a deep gorge. At least 10 people died, and 33 were injured. The attack happened in Teryath village, where the driver lost control after being shot, leading to the crash. The terrorists fired about 50 rounds at the bus. A rescue operation involving police, army, and paramilitary forces was quickly launched. SSP Reasi Mohita Sharma stated that the terrorists were waiting for the bus. The survivors reported that the terrorists continued firing even after the bus fell into the gorge. The victims pretended to be dead to avoid further attacks. Eyewitnesses recounted the horror, noting that the terrorists, masked and numbering 6 to 7, surrounded and fired upon the bus. The People's Anti-Facist Force (PAFF), Revival of Resistance (both linked to Jaishe-Mohammad), and The Resistance Front (affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba) took to social media to assert their involvement in the attack on the bus travelling from Shiv Khori to Katra in Reasi. The incident coincided with ministers of the third Modi government taking their oaths in Delhi. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and drones were deployed for the search operation in the dense forest areas around the site. 2 Islamic terrorists were subsequently killed for their involvement in the attack. 1 local was arrested for assisting terrorists.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime. Under this category, cases where the attack led to the death of the Hindu victim/s would be documented. In this case, the Islamic terrorists specifically attacked Hindu pilgrims and continued to fire on their when the aim to kill them. The pilgrims were pretended to be dead to escape the bullets, however, victims who survived have explained how even after the bus fell into the gorge, the terrorists kept firing the ensure that the Hindu pilgrims were dead. The responsibility was claimed by Islamic terror groups, most prominently - TRF. TRF has targeted several Hindus from Kashmir in the past and used the language of terror group Hamas to specifically justify the killing of Hindus in Kashmir. TRF has been recruiting youth through online mode for furthering terrorist activities, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorists, and smuggling of arms and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir. Starting in 2019 as a representative of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT), the group has been involved in a number of terrorist activities, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. At the same time, TRF also works to incite the people of Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist organizations against the Government of India and conduct psychological campaigns on social media platforms. TRF commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul has already been designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967, the Home ministry said. A lot of cases have also been registered against TRF members and associates. TRF, or The Resistance Front, has been actively initiating terror attacks in Kashmir. In September 2023, the terror outfit took responsibility for the Anantnag attack in which Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonak of the Indian Army and Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat were martyred. The organisation claimed the attack was to take revenge for the killing of the terrorist Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim by unidentified gunmen inside the Al-Qudus mosque in Rawalkot of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Recently, there have been increasing attacks on non-Muslim labourers working in Kashmir. In July 2023, three labourers from Bihar were killed in Kashmir. In October 2022, two labourers from Uttar Pradesh who had gone to Kashmir were also killed. In October 2021, TRF took responsibility for killing two non-Muslim teachers in Srinagar school. They accused the teachers of asking students to attend Independence Day celebrations. Kashmir has been a hotbed of Islamic terrorism where Hindus have been specifically targeted for decades. Kashmir saw the mass exodus and genocide of Kashmir Hindus. The Pandits were specifically asked to either convert, die or flee. As such, Hindus are specifically targeted for their religious identity in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists - owing to religious hostility and doctrinal hate.