A private sleeper bus en route from Jammu and Kashmir to Srinagar was subjected to a stone and brick attack near Nilokheri in Haryana on Saturday night, resulting in injuries to one passenger and a worker at a roadside eatery. Authorities have apprehended two individuals in connection with the incident. The Haryana Police have stated that the altercation began as a dispute over parking and denied any hate crime motive.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the incident, calling for swift action from the Haryana government. Posting on X, Abdullah expressed his hope that the Haryana government, led by Nayab Saini, and the Haryana Police would take measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. He indicated that the administration had assured prompt and stringent legal action. Information reaching Tahir Rihat suggests that the bus, carrying passengers from the Union Territory, was targeted at a dhaba, causing damage to its windowpanes.
Karnal Superintendent of Police Karan Goel, who visited the scene, reported that police received information around 10 p.m. regarding an altercation between the drivers of the bus and a car near the Divine Star Dhaba. Upon arrival, officers discovered damaged bus windows. The occupants of a white Maruti Baleno, identified as Mohit and Sawan, were immediately detained. According to SP Goel, preliminary inquiries revealed that a verbal dispute over parking arrangements outside the dhaba escalated, leading to the accused pelting the bus with stones and bricks, resulting in one passenger’s injury.
SP Goel clarified that no formal complaint was lodged by the bus driver, conductor, or any passengers. The bus subsequently continued its journey towards Srinagar. However, an FIR was registered at the Butana police station based on a complaint filed by the dhaba manager. Both accused individuals have been arrested, and the car involved has been impounded, with further legal proceedings underway. SP Goel emphasized that the incident stemmed purely from a spontaneous parking dispute and contained no element of a hate crime, urging the public to disregard social media rumors.
In contrast, National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar characterized the incident as a hate crime. Dar posted on X that stones and bricks were pelted on a Kashmir-registered bus on the Delhi-Srinagar route near Kurukshetra in an alleged hate crime, injuring an elderly Kashmiri man and leaving families terrified. He condemned the attack on innocent people and demanded action against the perpetrators, urging the Haryana Police to take cognizance, identify, and prosecute those responsible.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.