The damaged inside of the bus carrying worshippers that was ambushed by militants, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, on June 10, 2024. According to sources, at least 9 people were killed and 33 others received injuries in a terrorist act against them.
“I had been under the bus seats when gunshots rang out from the hills…those twenty-five terrifying minutes will forever stick with me,” Bhawani Shankar said. This happened on June 10th 2024 after a terror attack which saw numerous people killed.
Mr. Shankar is a resident of Tughlakbad Extension in Delhi whose wedding anniversary he decided to spend with his wife Radha Devi and kids Deeksha (five) and Raghav (three) visiting the Vaishno Devi shrines situated in Jammu on June 6.
Mr. Shankar and some others are also among them who hail from Delhi; they have been admitted at various hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir following the attack.
Nine people were killed while scores injured as terrorists opened fire on the fifty-three seater-bus traveling from Shiv Khori temple en route Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra before it veered off track and plunged into a deep gorge near Teryath village of Poni area Reasi on Sunday evening.
“On June 6th we took Shree Shakti Express train from Delhi to Katra. On June 7th we went to Vaishno devi temple returned back hotel room after midnight of June 8,” Mr. Shankar told PTI over phone.
He added: “On June nine, bus for ‘Shiv khori’ temple was taken from Katra by us where I purchased two tickets costing Rs250/each for this trip.”
Upon return form the temple, gunmen targeted their vehicle.
“We sat next to each other on the bus. Our children were on our laps. We heard a gunshot at 6 pm. In ten to fifteen seconds, more than twenty-five gunshots were fired. The driver was hit, and the bus went off the road,” he stated.
He continued: “The bus veered round in midair and then regained its original position but it got stuck in trees and rocks in a mountainous area.”
“As long as I can remember, I have been hiding under that seat while firing still came from the hills. They were hugging each other tightly since they thought that these might be their last moments of living together. And people around us shouting ‘hamla ho gaya hai’ [it’s an attack].”
“We stayed like this for about twenty five minutes because there were further shots fired when we were lying in the gorge,” Shankar explained saying that he will never forget what happened.
Some passengers fell down from the bus, screaming and crying till rescue team came, said Mr. Sankar.
All three are admitted in different hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir with Mr. Shankar being admitted to the same hospital as his two children.
“My son has a broken hand whereas my daughter has a head injury; I also have backache because I internal injuries and my wife had injuries all over her body but mostly on her head and legs,” he informed PTI on phone today.
A driver to an officer at Indian Oil in Delhi is what Mr. Shankar does. Firstly, he lives with his wife, father and brother-in-law’s Tughlakabad Extension in Delhi. Moreover, his brother-in-law works with a private company.
“I am always connected to my family member back home through phone calls,” he added.
