Ultras strike again in Punjab, 9 killed in blast

Ultras strike again in Punjab, 9 killed in blast
YOGINDRA MOHAN & GURKIRPAL SINGH ASHK

FATEHGARH SAHIB, MARCH 3: After keeping a low profile for sometime,terrorists struck in a big way in Punjab today when a powerful bomb blastripped apart a private bus which was on its way from Jammu to Delhi, killingnine persons and injuring five.

The bus had left Jammu's K.C. Chowk around 9 pm last night, two hours behindschedule. It made only one halt at Madhopur in Pathankot district where thestaff and the passengers had dinner and left around midnight.

When the bus was on G.T.Road near Tarkhan Majra village in Fatehgarh Sahibdistrict around 4.15 a.m today, a powerful bomb placed in it exploded,killing seven persons on the spot. Two later died in hospital.

Most of the 34 passengers were asleep when the blast took place. Theexplosive device, suspected to have been planted in the rear luggage rack,blew off four seats at the back of the bus. The explosion was loud enough toalert the Sirhind police station, located at a short distance from the site.A team of policemen from there, led by SHO Sukhdev Singh, rushed to the spotand started rescue work.

Punjab Director General of Police Sarabjit Singh, who along with PatialaRange Inspector General of Police R S Gill and DIG Sanjeev Gupta, visitedthe site of the mishap, said the bomb had apparently been planted either atJammu or at Madhopur where the bus had made a brief halt. He said a team ofexperts from the Punjab forensic laboratory at Chandigarh had taken samplesof the explosive material.

The DGP said the driver and conductor of the bus had fled immediately afterthe mishap and were later traced to Karnal in Haryana. They were beingbrought back.

SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, Paramraj Singh Dhaliwal said the blast had been causedby terrorists as certain cords, etc. recovered from the site were of thekind generally used by terrorist groups. However, no terrorist group hadowned responsibility so far.

He said that while seven persons died on the spot, one of the injured diedat Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital while another injured, who had beenshifted to the PGI at Chandigarh in a serious condition, died of hisinjuries there.

The SSP said it was presumably an unauthorised bus on which passengers werebooked by agents. Preliminary reports had suggested that the bus wascarrying 33 men and women besides a child. There were said to be two driversand one conductor in the driver's cabin.

Most of the passengers who had been killed or injured in the blast belongedto Jammu or Delhi. A list of the passengers had been sought from the travelagency's office in Jammu.

The district police chief said a police party, headed by SP (Detective) K SSandhu, was being sent to Jammu to conduct investigations there. The injuredpassengers said that no passenger had boarded the bus at Madhopur where itmade its only halt after leaving Jammu.

Punjab Governor Lt Gen (Retd) J F R Jacob, who visited the site of themishap, described it as a terrorist act which needed to be condemned. Helauded the swift action of the district and police authorities in providinghelp to the injured.

Deputy Commissioner V K Janjua said the next of kin of those killed would bepaid an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh and the widows would be given jobs besides amonthly pension of Rs 2,500. The administration would bear all expenses onthe medical treatment of those hospitalised.

Six of those killed have been identified as Kartar Singh, working with theCRPF Batallion 136; Mahamed Nadeem son of Mohd Naseem, resident of 50 A,Khwaja Jamar Dara Tagore Road, Delhi; Aja Ahmed Palam, resident of Halapura,Jammu; Manjoor Ahmed, Kulwana, district Anantnag; Mohd Rajain son ofAbdullah, Jagadhri Road, Ambala City and Kabruddin, resident of 88, KabirNagar in Delhi. Three of the bodies are yet to be identified.

The injured include Jawahar Lal of House No 161, Sector Durga Nagar, Jammu,and his wife Beena; Nabsi Lal, House No 161, Sector 1, Durga Nagar, Jammu,and his wife Durgaji; Mohd Akabar Khan of 25, Mishri Nagar, J&K and BharatIzaz of Baramulla.