Amarnath yatra attack: Terrorists knew that Amarnath yatris' bus was unescorted

The bus carrying the pilgrims from Gujarat, which was attacked on Amaranth Yatra route, was not registered for the pilgrimage, raising questions on flouting of standard operating procedures. Intelligence agencies also claim that there were specific inputs about terrorists targeting a vehicle that is not escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that provides security to the vehicles that are part of the convoy.

"The bus was carrying pilgrims from Balatal to Mir Bazar. The bus was neither part of the convoy nor part of shrine board," sources said.

Sources said it seems the terrorists had inputs that the bus was unescorted, making it a vulnerable target. The terrorists first targeted the forces at a check post and later fired the bus nearby. The bus had a Gujarat number plate GJ 09Z 9976.

The Centre had doubled the security deployment for Amarnath Yatra this year in wake of the death anniversary of Burhan Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed last year on July 8. There were more than 20,000 troops on the ground but many were diverted to control the backlash expected on Wani's death anniversary. Sources said the attack could be linked to Wani's death anniversary.

The spike in killings of terrorists recently could also be the reason for terrorists to strike back.

However, it is not clear whether the terrorists were locals or Pakistanis. Security forces have started search operations.

All victims from Gujarat

All seven Yatris who fell to terror attack are from Gujarat. According to police sources, three buses, all of Gujarat registration, were returning with pilgrims after 'darshan' and were delayed beyond the allowed time for pilgrimage, which is 7 pm. The attack took place around 8.20 pm.

Three buses with 110 passengers left from Valsad on July 1. None of the buses were part of the CRPF convoy escorting pilgrims. It has not been confirmed whether all the deceased pilgrims were in the same bus.