More than three-decade-old insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir got a new lease of life with a series of attacks last week beginning with ambushing a bus carrying Hindu civilians returning from a temple visit, followed by another attack in a residential area in Kathua, and lastly in the Indian Army’s Temporary Operation Base in Doda. What is significant about the series of onslaughts that started in Kashmir, the first one timed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking oath for his consecutive third term. The message was loud and clear – the militants are very much active in the region. The Resistance Front, a euphemism for the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the terrorist organization that has been active in the region, claimed responsibility for the attack. It declared that the attack was the “beginning of a new start.”  

This attack showed that the peace process that was so painstakingly achieved in this region had been tenuous. The strike claimed nine lives and injured many. What makes the attack noteworthy is the choice of target by the militants - primarily Hindu pilgrims. The attack was at a place close to a ravine—the militants sprayed the bus with bullets to ensure that the passengers had no means to escape. Some passengers acted dead to survive; they recounted the horror. The driver and the conductor died on the spot and the bus lost control and fell into a gorge. It is also noteworthy that the first attack occurred in Reasi, a district where the trail of violence had less imprint. Way back in the 1990s, the region was very volatile. However, violence there had subsided in the following years.  

Reasons for rising militancy 

The ground beneath Kashmir’s feet is indeed slipping. The abrogation of Article 370 (which took away the special status of Jammu and Kashmir) by the Central government has enraged the militants and their handlers considerably. They have been involved in planning attacks on Indian security personnel and innocent civilians for a long time finding opportune moments to strike.

A temporary lull in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir a few months back was followed by spikes in killings with a sudden spurt last week as the ISI and the terror masterminds in Pakistan had been intending to thwart any attempts at peacemaking. They wanted to dispel any notion that the J&K situation had been resolved in favor of India. Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with India in August 2019 and this has downgraded diplomatic relations leading to rising tensions between these two neighbours. 

Jammu the new battleground? 

The battleground for the militants had shifted to Jammu where the security there thinned. Infiltrators have changed their strategies and targets of attack. The targeted locales have changed to Jammu regions like Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, and Udhampur instead of Kashmir. It is worthy of mention that militancy in Jammu could not take roots as terrorists did not receive much support from local villages. Therefore, the militants were left to making surprise attacks. This thus came as a surprise to intelligence agencies. Some of these districts in Jammu are separated from Kashmir valley by the Pir Panjal range which harbours militants as it is easy for them to escape in the dense forests. In the Reasi attack, the militants made a sudden incursion, though it’s strange how nobody suspected a jeep that was following a bus full of pilgrims in Reasi as revealed in the CCTV footage. It is said that there is a lack of a good network of informers to provide intelligence inputs in Jammu. The militants had taken full advantage of the situation. Besides, the attackers these days are technically sound. They do not satellite phones which can be intercepted, but rather communicating via applications like Signal and Telegram with their handlers in Pakistan and have been successful in keeping their operations clandestine.

Implications of rise in militancy 

The rise in attacks in Jammu will have adverse and long-lasting consequences. The incidents point out how the disgruntled Kashmiri youth have not only been successfully mobilized against the Indian State but there is also a worrying entry of foreign terrorists on Indian soil. The infiltration routes are also changing and terrorists are seemingly becoming unapologetically robust. The security personnel who are fanned out across the region have failed to provide adequate security to the common people. 

The tourism industry in the state which had been flourishing will take a nosedive in the coming days. This is not good for the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. The militants aided and abetted by Pakistan and its ISI are now shifting their pivot of terrorist activities to less guarded areas. The terrorists are also bringing reviving memories of the past when they selectively chose Hindus as targets.

Raise intelligence levels

Pakistan will not stop its proxy war with India. Therefore, the onus is on India to enhance its vigil and overhaul its security perspective by raising the level of its intelligence operations. There is a crying need to accept this shortcoming and boldly face the adversary. Fenced in by bunkers, curfews and frequent internet bans people are yearning for peace, dignity, and tolerance. The newly formed NDA government has tough challenges ahead.

(The author is an Assistant Professor at, the Department of Political Science, Jangipur College. Kalyani University, West Bengal. Views are personal. She can be reached at koyelbasu1979@gmail.com)