The Jammu and Kashmir Police are suspecting the role of the Islamic terror outfit in the Katra bus fire incident that killed four people and injured 24 others on Saturday.
Hours after the blast, a letter issued by one Islamic terror outfit, ‘Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters’ began doing rounds on social media platforms. In the letter, the terror outfit claimed responsibility for the Katra bus fire incident, which it said was an ‘IED blast’ triggered by one of its ‘special squads’.
The letter issued by a terrorist Nadeem Choudary, who claimed to be the spokesperson of the terror outfit, read, “In the guise of religious pilgrimage, this Hindutva regime is trying its best to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. But we will sabotage their filthy propaganda at every level. This attack is linked to a series of bombings carried out by our special squad at Jammu, Udhampur and Rajouri areas. We warn the non-locals who are used as cannon fodder by this Hindutva regime not to visit the disputed territory.”
Meanwhile, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has inspected the passenger bus that was gutted near Katra town. The NIA and police have also taken samples for Forensic Science Laboratory. The explosives experts team inspected the site for over an hour and collected samples.
However, the investigation has so far not revealed whether it was the IED blast that caused the death of the passengers.
Four persons were killed and 24 others injured when the moving bus, mostly devotees, caught fire near Nomai near Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishnodevi mandir.