CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: A day after the shocking terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims killed nine people, three shadow groups associated with the banned terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the brutal act. However, they later backtracked after the images of a 2-year-old victim went viral on social media.
Initially, two offshoots of LeT and JeM – People’s Anti-Facist Force (PAFF), Revival of Resistance (both linked to Jaish), 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, officials said.
However, as images of the innocent two-year-old victim identified as Titu circulated online prompting widespread condemnation, the terror outfits swiftly retracted their claims and instead shifted blame onto government agencies, PTI quoted a senior official.
The two-year-old’s mother Pooja Saini (30) also died after terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu’s Reasi district on Sunday evening. Besides Pooja, her paternal uncle Rajendra Saini, 44, and Rajendra’s wife Mamta, 40, too died. The bus was ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.
The officials said five of the nine deceased had gunshot wounds. While 41 people were injured in the attack, 10 of them had bullet injuries.
Meanwhile, a manhunt is for the three foreign terrorists responsible for the deadly attack.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udhampur-Reasi Range, Rayees Mohammad Bhat said they have got some leads as 11 teams of police, army and CRPF are jointly working on two different axes to neutralise the fleeing terrorists.