The officials said the bus was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is required for pilgrims to follow.
It was the "irresponsible" act of the ill-fated bus driver and its passengers that exposed the Amarnath pilgrims to tonight's terror attack in Kashmir in which seven were killed and 32 injured, according to top security officials.
The officials said the bus was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of the terror threat.
Giving details on the basis of preliminary inquiries, the officials told PTI that the people on board the bus bearing the Gujarat registration number GJ09Z 9976 had completed the yatra two days back and were in Srinagar since then, deviating from the Amarnath yatra route which goes to Jammu.
Also, despite the sensitive security situation prevailing in Kashmir, the bus was on its way to Jammu at night, which is not permissible as it exposes the vehicles to terror attacks, they said.
The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district at around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is wound up, the officials said.
All vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims are provided security cover when they move in a convoy but the security agencies had no information about movement of this particular bus, the officials said.
The normal timings for movement of vehicles from Pahalgam towards Jammu is in the forenoon as the authorities ensure that they leave Kashmir by 1 pm.
The officials said that in view of today's incident, the security measures will be reviewed further.
The 40-day yatra began on June 28 and thousands of personnel from the Army, the BSF, the CRPF and state police have been pressed into service to ensure its security.
The terrorists first attacked a bullet-proof bunker of the police at Botengoo, a police official said, adding it was retaliated. There were no injuries in this attack.
Thereafter the terrorists fired on a police picket near Khannabal, the police added.
When the police retaliated, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately in which the bus carrying the yatris got it.
Seven of the pilgrims were killed and 32 were injured, the police said.
The police and top government sources said the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was personally monitoring the situation, strongly condemned the dastardly attack and asserted that India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and evil designs of hate.
He said he spoke to Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all possible assistance required.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Vohra and Mehbooba.
"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," Modi tweeted.
"My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones in the attack in J&K. My prayers with the injured," he added.
In yet another tweet, the prime minister said, "India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate."
The Home Minister, in his telephonic call to Vohra and Mehbooba, sought details of the attack.
He told them to ensure that the injured people are given adequate medical treatment.
He also directed officials to ensure foolproof security in future.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack as the "most reprehensible act" and said "This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism." The attack was condemned by other leaders as well.
The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was on August 1, 2000. The terrorists had then struck in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters. It was the "irresponsible" act of the ill-fated bus driver and its passengers that exposed the Amarnath pilgrims to tonight's terror attack in Kashmir in which seven were killed and 32 injured, according to top security officials.
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