Probe into J&K bus fire looks at use of ‘sticky bomb’

According to sources, circumstantial evidence suggests that the fire was an act of sabotage and the use of an IED to trigger an explosion in the bus’s fuel tank cannot be ruled out. Investigating officials suspect that a “sticky bomb”, which can be stuck to a vehicle using magnets, was used.

The bus, mostly carrying pilgrims, had just left for Jammu when it caught fire near Khanak, about 1.5 km from Katra town. Katra is the base camp for pilgrims going to the Vaishno Devi shrine.

According to preliminary investigations, the fire started in the engine of the bus, and soon engulfed the vehicle. The initial police probe termed it as a case of the engine catching fire due to a technical fault. However, following examination of the spot and the bus, security agencies suspected an IED attack by a terror group.

“There is a hole near the fuel tanks with the metal sheets bent inwards. Had it been an explosion due to a technical glitch from inside the engine, the metal sheets would have turned outwards near the hole. Also, samples picked up from the clothes of one of the victims suggests the use of some kind of explosive, although it is not clear what it is,” said a security establishment official.

Sources said the suspicion is on the use of a “sticky bomb”. “There is no material evidence to prove this, since by the time the forensic teams reached the site, the crime scene had been completely washed out in an attempt to douse the fire. But circumstantial evidence points to the possibility of a sticky bomb being used,” said an officer from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is conducting a parallel probe.

The development casts a shadow over the Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to begin on June 30. There has been considerable concern within the government over security for the Amarnath Yatra, which will be held after two years. It comes in the backdrop of targeted killings of civilians, particularly migrants, in the Valley.

“Katra has rarely been targeted. But, of late, we see increasing attacks in Jammu targeting Hindu-dominated areas. There have been six IED blasts in Jammu this year alone. There have been increasing inputs from intelligence agencies about impending attacks in Hindu areas. Many have been prevented, with multiple IEDs being recovered from populated areas and many operatives being arrested in the past few months,” said a J&K Police officer.

While the Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters on Saturday claimed responsibility for the Katra bus fire, sources played this down, saying the lesser known group had earlier claimed credit for attacks which were later traced to other groups. “At the moment, the suspicion is on operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed since they have been using IEDs for some time. But there is no evidence yet,” said an officer.

Meanwhile, J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, who reached Delhi late on Sunday night, held a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. He will meet Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.

While these are said to be routine meetings to discuss development projects in J&K, sources said the focus was on the current security situation in the Valley and even Jammu. Sources said the security arrangements to ensure an incident-free Amarnath Yatra was among the key issues discussed on Monday, and would be discussed with Shah as well.

According to sources, Shah is scheduled to hold a meeting to review the security in J&K and arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra with chiefs of the BSF, CRPF and Intelligence Bureau on Tuesday. Sinha will attend this meeting.

Last week, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also held a meeting on the same issue. CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh is currently on a tour to J&K to plan security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra, sources said.