Remembering Kaluchak Massacre of 14th May 2002, When Pakistani terrorists attacked a bus and killed 31

Remembering Kaluchak Massacre of 14th May 2002, When Pakistani terrorists attacked a bus and killed 31

In a cowardly attack on 14th May 2002, three heavily-armed terrorists of Pakistan killed around 31 people in Samba of Jammu, including 3 army personnel, 18 army family members and 10 civilians. The terrorists who were Pakistani nationals as per investigations also threw grenades to damage vehicles and cause maximum destruction, while some victims of the attack died on the spot, many were left in a critical condition. Investigations suggested that all three terrorists who were responsible for the cold-blooded massacre at Kaluchak had reportedly infiltrated across the LoC in Samba area and boarded the Jammu bound Himachal Roadways bus at Vijaypur.

 

An early morning on 14th May 2002, three terrorists dressed in combat uniform boarded a Himachal Tourism bus moving from Pathankot to Jammu at Vijaypur near Samba. At 6.15 am in the morning the terrorists stopped the bus near Kaluchak, shot the driver and the conductor of the bus and opened indiscriminate fire on the passengers inside the bus.

 

The sound of fire was so evident that the Army Unit located in the vicinity in prompt reaction opened fire in the direction of the terrorists. The armed terrorists then while trying to escape ran in the direction of the army family quarter lines located to the main road. Heavily armed as they were, the terrorists of suicide squad threw grenades on some vehicles parked in the vicinity to cause mass destruction. On entering the family lines, they again fired indiscriminately on Army family members present in the premises.

 

In the first success, the terrorists were cordoned off in the army lines and then were gunned down by 10 pm in the night on the same day. However, by then several casualties were done by the terrorists who were Pakistan nationals as identified later in the investigations.

 

While 31 people including 3 army personnel, 18 army family members and 10 civilians were killed, 47 including 12 army personnel, 20 from army quarter lines and 15 civilians were seriously wounded.  The list of deceased included men, women and even children in 4-10 age group.

 

All the three terrorists killed by the Army personnel were identified as Pakistani nationals whose names were, Abu Suhail, Abu Murshed and Abu Javed from various regions of Pakistan that was also mentioned in the detailed report along with their family details. Certain food items like biscuits and chocolates found with the terrorists revealed that the items were purchased from Zaffarwal area of Pakistan. 

 

The terrorists aged 19 to 20 years who were responsible for the gruesome massacre at Kaluchak on May 14th of 2002 had reportedly infiltrated across the Line of Control in Samba area and boarded the Jammu bound Himachal Roadways bus at Vijaypur.

In a similar attack in the previous year, on 9th May 2001, 6 villagers of Doda district were beheaded by the terrorists of Pakistan after 11 Hindu villagers had a close encounter with them while grazing cattle in the Doda district of Jammu. Few hours later, nearly 6 bodies, all decapitated were discovered by the local police. Three villagers who survived the attack with deep wounds around their throat recounted the horror.