Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in Indian Kashmir on Monday night in one of the worst attacks the restive state has seen in the recent years.
Gunmen opened fire on a bus in Anantnag district which was carrying pilgrims who were returning after visiting the Amarnath Shrine of Lord Shiva in Kashmir valley.
Among the seven killed are five women.
Due to security reasons, buses carrying pilgrims aren’t allowed to ply after 7 pm on the pilgrimage route. According to media reports, the bus which came under attack had broken down, causing it to remain on the highway after 7 pm.
The gunmen attacked the bus around 8 pm.
News agency PTI reports that the gunmen first opened fire at a police vehicle and then fired indiscriminately at the police vehicle and the bus after the police personnel retaliated.
According to reports in the Indian media, the bus wasn’t part of the official tour and did not have the security cover which is provided to the vehicles which are part of the pilgrimage cavalcade.
Chief Minister of Indian Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack.
“This is an assault on our values and traditions which we hold dear. We will leave no stone unturned to root out the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” Ms Mufti said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained beyond words on the dastardly attack”.
Pilgrims from all over India and overseas visit the Amarnath Shrine in the Kashmir Valley during the official pilgrimage that is open for 40 days in June and July every year.
This year, unprecedented security arrangements were put in place with 40,000 security personnel guarding the route of the pilgrimage and a satellite tracking system tracking the vehicles that are part of the pilgrims' convoy.
