A Delhi-Srinagar passenger bus was allegedly attacked near Kurukshetra in Haryana on Saturday night, leaving an elderly passenger injured, according to a report. Following the purported incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah spoke to the Haryana government, which assured him of stringent action against the culprits.
According to the driver of the bus which was allegedly attacked, a group of men objected to the vehicle being parked near a hotel for a dinner break and assaulted him.
According to news agency ANI, the driver, Waqar, said the bus had stopped at the Divine Star Hotel in Nilokheri, beyond Karnal, when the incident occurred.
“I was travelling from Delhi towards Srinagar. We stopped for dinner at the Divine Star Hotel in Nilokheri, past Karnal in Haryana. Some men were sitting in the parking area. A small Baleno car with a Haryana registration number was already parked there,” he said.
Waqar alleged that about a minute after he parked the bus, a man shouted, “Atankwadi gaadi nikal yahan se” (Move this terrorist vehicle from here), and demanded that he move the bus.
“I asked him what the matter was. He told me to move the vehicle immediately, saying that I could not park there and that they would not allow a Jammu and Kashmir-registered vehicle to be parked in Haryana,” the driver alleged.
He further claimed that the man struck the front windshield and assaulted him. The attackers allegedly smashed the bus's front and rear number plates while repeatedly objecting to a vehicle from Jammu and Kashmir being in Haryana.
“They kept threatening us, saying, ‘We will shoot you, we will set the vehicle on fire, we will kill you.’ We want justice. Such acts of hooliganism must stop. We all have to use the roads. Vehicles from their side also travel to our region, and such behaviour only creates a hostile environment on both sides,” Waqar said.
He added that the bus had 35 passengers, most of whom were outside the vehicle when the incident took place. The 40-seater bus has sleeper berths.
Omar Abdullah takes up incident with Haryana government
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said his office had taken up the alleged stone-throwing incident involving a J&K-bound sleeper bus near Kurukshetra with the Haryana government.
Abdullah said the Haryana administration had assured him that prompt and stringent action would be taken in accordance with the law.
“The J&K Government stands with the affected passengers and is closely monitoring the situation,” he said in a post on his official X handle.
In an earlier post on his personal X handle, Abdullah had urged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to take action against those responsible.
“This unfortunate incident should never have taken place. I hope the Haryana government led by @NayabSainiBJP ji and @police_haryana catch the culprits and take action to ensure these things don't happen again,” he said.
BJP condemns attack, seeks strict action
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur condemned the alleged attack and appealed to the Haryana chief minister to take strict action against those involved.
In a statement to ANI, Thakur said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party condemns this incident, and we appeal to the Haryana chief minister to take the strictest possible action against those involved in the attack on this Kashmiri bus.”
He said young people from Jammu and Kashmir had gradually started travelling to different parts of the country to conduct business and establish their livelihoods.
“Such hooliganism and acts of this kind undermine that mission and, in a way, help the conspiracy of those enemies who have always wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain separate from India,” he added.