Katra bus fire: Little-known outfit claims responsibility, J-K Police say 'terror' angle not ruled out

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 15 

The Jammu and Kashmir Police are keeping the ambit of investigation wide open in the Katra bus tragedy, in which four persons were killed and 24 injured, after a letter by a little-known terror group claimed that they used an IED to target the bus.

Explosive experts from National Investigation Agency (NIA) also visited the spot on Saturday and collected samples from the bus and adjoining areas at Kharmal, near Katra, where the incident occurred.

“NIA has extended all requisite assistance to JK Police in the investigation of the case of passenger bus catching fire near Katra on Friday. Detailed forensic probe is continuing to identify the reasons for the cause of fire,” the Central agency said in a tweet on Sunday.

Carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims, the local bus bearing registration number JK 14/1831 was coming from Katra to Jammu when it caught fire mysteriously.

Jammu Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh said that as per preliminary details, the bus first caught fire in the engine area which soon engulfed the whole bus. He later reached the spot and inspected the bus himself.

However, a letter by a suspected terror group ‘Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters’ started doing the rounds on the Internet, which claimed the responsibility for the fire incident. The letter, which has the name of one Nadeem Choudary as its spokesperson, read that the terror group carried out the “attack on bus carrying non-locals”.

The suspected letter also claimed the responsibility for bomb attacks in Jammu, Udhampur and Rajouri in recent times.

Sources in intelligence informed that it cannot be ruled out that the fire in bus may be a work of a terror group. “Assistance from NIA was sought to detect any traces of explosives from the body of the bus and area of the incident. The case has not been handed over to the NIA so far”, said highly placed sources in intelligence.

A blast occurred near the district court complex in Udhampur on March 9 in which one person died and 14 were injured. Similarly, in Rajouri, there have been at least four explosions in different areas of Kotranka subdivision since March 26 but the police have not been able to trace anything so far.

Rajouri SSP Mohammad Aslam Choudhary told The Tribune: “As there are no local or foreign terrorists in the region, the blasts might be a handiwork of a foreign agency.”