J&K: How Few Reasi Survivors Pretended To Be Dead To Escape Terrorists

Nine people, including seven pilgrims, lost their lives and 38 were injured in a horrific terror attack on a bus near Ransoo in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. The victims, hailing from various states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi, had visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and were returning from the revered Shiv Khouri shrine when their bus was ambushed. Days after the attack, some survivors have come forward to recount how they pretended to be lifeless during the attack so the terrorists could spare them. 

Here’s What Happened 

Santosh Kumar Verma, a resident of Balrampur district in Uttar Pradesh, was on the bus with his family. He recalls the moment the attack began: "The bus had barely moved a few kilometres from Ransoo when I saw a militant with a mask firing at the bus driver." The driver's immediate death caused the bus to plunge into a gorge. Devi Prasad, a teacher from Uttar Pradesh, recounted how the militants continued to fire even after the bus had crashed. "We lay on the ground, pretending to be dead until the militants left," he said, as reported by The Indian Express.

Rescued by Local Residents

After the militants departed, local residents rushed to the scene, pulling the dead and injured from the gorge. They were soon joined by police and security forces from nearby areas, who assisted in the rescue operations.

Personal Stories of Loss Shared By Survivors

Rajat Ram Verma, who was travelling with his wife and son, initially thought the gunshots were due to a short circuit. "Suddenly, someone cried that militants had attacked the bus. I pushed my wife and son under the seat, but before we could take cover, the bus fell into the gorge," he recalled. Tragically, Rajat lost his 14-year-old son, Anurag, in the attack. He and his wife, who are being treated in different hospitals, were part of a group from Balrampur district on a pilgrimage trip.

The deceased included Pooja Sawhney, her two-year-old daughter Kitu Sawhney, Rajinder Prasad Sawhney, Mamta Sawhney from Jaipur, and Sourav Gupta from Delhi. The bus driver Vijay Kumar and conductor Arun Kumar, both from Reasi district, also perished in the attack. 

Many of the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals across Reasi, Katra, and Jammu. Nearly all the pilgrims on the bus were first-time visitors to Shiv Khouri, inspired by videos of the shrine they had seen on social media. Devi Prasad Gupta, a teacher from Gonda, UP, said, "We had planned a visit there after watching videos of the Shiv Khouri shrine online."

The survivors of the Reasi terror attack are left grappling with their trauma and loss. As families mourn and survivors heal, the community stands in solidarity, hoping for a future free from such horrors.