Landmines, blast, militant threats add to fears on bus route

Militants even threatened the two bus drivers. ‘‘We have collected the biodata of the two SRTC drivers. They are being warned not to play with their lives,’’ stated the letter sent by militant outfits Save Kashmir Movement, Al Nasireen, Al Arifeen, Farzandane-e-Millat.

In Hanjiwara, the explosives, packed in a container, sent shrapnel flying. Hasina Lone (35), whose house is situated near the road, said she was playing with her daughter when she heard a bang that sounded as if the roof was collapsing. ‘‘I froze and my daughter fainted. When I looked around, I saw shattered window panes, doors unhinged. We were lucky to survive,’’ said Hasina. The explosion left a huge crater by the roadside.

CRPF Inspector Ranjan Baruach said: ‘‘Our road opening parties (ROPs) were here this morning. They surveyed the road minutely but found nothing. I guess the militants planted it after the ROP left. It’s not a security lapse.’’ Earlier, a BSF patrol found two IEDs hidden beneath a heap of earth at Palhalan on the same route. A protruding wire was noticed by the securitymen who called in the bomb-disposal squad to neutralise the IEDs.

The 183 km road from Srinagar to Kaman Post on the LoC has been divided into 8-9 security zones, each to be headed by an SP.

While the political leadership has made it clear that the bus will run on April 7, the security establishment is on tenterhooks.

To add to this, there is a militant intercept indicating there could be a threat to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. In fact, security agencies have picked up three intercepts including one that is cross-LoC indicating that militants may target the bus. Security was also the focus of the meeting between Lt General Hari Prasad, Northern Army Commander, and Army Chief General J J Singh on the sidelines of the Army Commanders Conference. In fact, Gen Prasad had planned to cut short his Delhi visit and go to Srinagar today but at the last moment he was told to handle the situation from the Capital. It is learnt that the officiating 15 Corps Commander, Victor Force Commander and 19 Dagger Division Commander will brief the Mufti Sayeed government on the security measures.

On April 7, the Kashmiri passengers will be escorted to the dais where Prime Minister Singh will flag the bus. Normally, the Indian bus will start at 10.00 am but on the first day, it will start an hour later. From Muzaffarabad, the Pakistani bus will start at 8.00 am and will cross over the LoC by 12.30 pm. The passengers from Muzaffarabad will be treated as state guests on April 7 with the state planning a reception for them. The guests will be on their own the next day and will not be asked to report daily to police station.