SRINAGAR: President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Political leaders across Jammu and Kashmir have expressed grief and anguish over the devastating bus accident in the Chungi Morh area of Akhnoor, Jammu, where a bus carrying pilgrims to Shiv Khori skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge, resulting in the loss of 22 lives and injuring dozens.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the incident. “Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured,” she said in a post on X.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar said he is deeply saddened to learn about the tragic bus accident. He further extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families and also prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of the deceased saying he is anguished by the loss of lives due to the accident. In a social media post, the Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees to the next of kin of each deceased and 50 thousand rupees to the injured.
The President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Dr Farooq Abdullah, along with the party’s Vice President, Omar Abdullah, expressed their deep sorrow over the tragic accident.
“I am pained beyond words to know about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu,” Dr Farooq said in a statement issued here. “My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured. The administration should provide all possible assistance to the bereaved families besides extending medical facilities to those who are injured.”
Omar Abdullah said, “The tragic bus accident in Akhnoor, Jammu, is heart-wrenching. I am deeply moved by the loss of lives in the mishap and pray for fortitude to the grief-stricken families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and impress upon the local administration to reach out to the affected with relief and compensation.”
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), expressed deep sorrow over the accident. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic bus accident in Akhnoor. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims. I urge the government to provide immediate compensation to the affected families and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.”
Azad in a statement highlighted the growing issue of road accidents in the Jammu region, saying, “Road accidents are on the rise in the Jammu region. There is a lack of accountability and strict enforcement against rash driving and overloading. The government must take strong measures to control these accidents. Overloading and rash driving on highways must be curbed to prevent such tragic incidents.”
Ashok Sharma, former MLA and Provincial Vice President of DPAP, also expressed grief over the incident. “I urge the Government of J&K to provide adequate relief and specialized medical treatment to the injured,” he said. Sharma stressed the importance of implementing road safety measures and controlling overloading and the use of mobile phones by drivers.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami expressed deep shock and grief over the fatal accident. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic bus accident in Akhnoor. I express my solidarity with the bereaved families and demand adequate compensation for the victim families and free treatment for the injured.”
Tarun Chugh, the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Incharge of Jammu & Kashmir, expressed deep sorrow.
Chugh in a statement conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the affected families. He said, “My heart is deeply saddened to hear the extremely sad news of the death of passengers from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, in the tragic bus accident that took place in Akhnoor, Jammu. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured. Om Shanti Om.”
Also, Chugh highlighted the importance of swift action and urged the authorities concerned to ensure the best possible treatment for those injured in the accident. “We are closely monitoring the situation and urge authorities concerned to ensure the best possible treatment to those injured in the incident,” he said.
Apni Party president Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari expressed shock over the tragic mishap. “I am deeply pained to hear about the heart-breaking road accident. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members who have lost their loved ones in the road accident.”
Bukhari sought immediate release of ex-gratia in favour of the next of kin of the deceased pilgrims and urged the government to provide specialized treatment free of cost to the injured.
Other leaders of the party including the provincial president, Jammu, S Manjit Singh also condoled the loss of lives and demanded a probe into the incident. “I express my sympathies with the bereaved family members and prayed to the almighty for the eternal peace of the departed souls, and courage to their respective families to bear this irreparable loss,” Singh said.
Chairman of J&K Peoples Democratic Front (J&K PDF) and former minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen expressed sorrow and grief over the accident. “I express heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families and pray for peace to the departed souls and compensation to the bereaved families,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Working President Raman Bhalla along with the party’s Senior Vice President & Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma visited the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital and enquired about the condition of the injured in the accident.
They enquired from the doctors about the treatment and offered all possible help to the hospital authorities. They requested specialised treatment for the seriously injured by airlifting to outside hospitals, as required.
The authorities sought the help of the society to arrange blood for which the leaders also issued an appeal to the people, the JKPCC said in a statement.
The leaders expressed sympathies with the injured and assured all help to the pilgrims. Some of the passengers told them that the bus was heavily overloaded which is one of the causes of the accident.
Later talking to reporters, Bhalla demanded an exemplary punishment for the culprits including the contractor and owner of the bus. He called for the suspension of the permit after preliminary enquiry.
The JKPCC demanded adequate compensation of 20 lakh rupees to the families of the deceased and 10 lakh rupees for the seriously injured.
