Bus terror attack: NIA team reaches Reasi to start investigations [details]

Within hours after the heinous terror attack, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir to assist and coordinate the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the investigation.

Sources said that a team of the NIA led by a senior officer reached Reasi this morning and held a meeting with the officers of the local police, who briefed them about the initial investigation in this case.

Although the investigation of this terror attack has yet not been handed over to the NIA, it is believed that the probe will be handed over to the central agency.

Sources said that after getting information about the incident from the officers of the J&K police, the NIA team is likely to visit the spot where terrorists ambushed a bus of devotees.

LG visits hospitals to inquire about the conditions of injured

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday visited Government Medical College Hospital Jammu and Narayana Hospital Katra to inquire about the conditions of the injured in the Reasi terror attack.

Manoj Sinha condemned the terrorist attack on a bus in Reasi district, describing it as part of a malicious plan to destabilize the Jammu region. He emphasized that such attempts would be defeated.

"Last evening, terrorists targeted the bus driver, causing the vehicle to lose control and fall into a gorge, which led to the tragic deaths of nine people," the Lt Governor said.

"A joint operation by the police, CRPF, and Army is currently underway to bring the perpetrators to justice.", he told media persons at Government Medical College Jammu after visiting 18 of the injured admitted there.

Director General of Police R R Swain and his team are on-site, overseeing the anti-terror operation.

"Our immediate priority is to save the lives of the injured. While no compensation can replace a lost life, the administration has approved an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured," Sinha added.

Lt Governor Sinha mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah are closely monitoring the situation and contacted him immediately after the attack.

"Those responsible for this attack will not be spared. It is part of a nefarious design to spread chaos in the Jammu region, but we are resolute in our efforts to prevent such actions," he stated.

Sinha also visited Narayan Hospital in the Katra area of Reasi district to check on the condition of 14 other injured individuals receiving treatment there.

Nine devotees killed in Reasi terror attack

On Sunday, terrorists fired at a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district, resulting in nine deaths and 41 injuries. The 53-seater bus, traveling from the Shiv Khori temple to Katra, went off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Teryath village in the Poni area of Reasi district after being attacked.

Officials said nine people, including a two-year-old boy from Rajasthan and a 14-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, died in the attack.

Ex-gratia relief announced for family members of deceased devotees

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the terror attack on a bus in Reasi district, an official spokesman said on Monday.

Sinha has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those injured, the spokesman said.

"An ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh to be given to the next of kin of pilgrims martyred in Reasi terror attack. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000. The injured pilgrims are being treated at different hospitals in Jammu & Reasi," LG Manoj Sinha posted on his social media account.

"A control room has been created by the district administration to provide all necessary assistance. A joint security force temporary HQ by J&K Police, Army, and CRPF has been set up at the site and operation is in progress to neutralize the perpetrators of the Reasi terror attack", he further stated.