The alleged selective targeting of a Srinagar-bound passenger bus in the parking area of Divine Star dhaba near Karnal in Haryana put the offices of the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Chief Ministers on tenterhooks on Sunday as they sought to contain fallout from the incident.
Sensing the seriousness of the incident, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raised the matter with the Haryana Government for necessary action after a video of the luxury bus with broken window panes, along with eyewitness accounts of passengers and the driver, was circulated on social media platforms.
In Srinagar, State spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Imran Nabi Dar, escalated the matter by posting on X, “Stones and bricks pelted on Kashmir bus (JK number), on Delhi to Srinagar route, near Kurukshetra, Haryana in an alleged hate crime. One elderly Kashmiri man was injured in the attack; families left helpless and terrified. We condemn the murderous attack on innocent people and demand action against the perpetrators.
Referring to the post, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote, “This unfortunate incident should never have taken place. I hope the Haryana Government led by @NayabSainiBJP ji & @police_haryana catch the culprits & take action to ensure these things don’t happen again”.
Bus driver of the Delhi-Srinagar passenger bus, Waqar, told a news agency correspondent, “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 car, a Baleno with a Haryana registration, was already parked there. About a minute after I parked, someone shouted from nearby, ‘Atankwadi gaadi nikal yahan se,’ demanding that I move the vehicle. I asked,’ What’s the matter? He said, ‘Move the vehicle! Get it out of here, quickly! You cannot park here; we won’t allow it. A vehicle from J&K cannot be parked here.’ He then struck the front windshield and began assaulting me... They started by smashing the front license plate, then moved to the rear one, with others joining in. They kept saying that a vehicle from Jammu & Kashmir shouldn’t be in Haryana... The men 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 travel to our region as well-and such behaviour only creates a hostile environment for both sides...”
In Karnal, Haryana police said two men have been rounded up for allegedly throwing stones at a Jammu and Kashmir-bound bus following a dispute in Haryana’s Karnal district, leaving a passenger and a ‘dhaba’ employee injured.
Haryana Police said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm on Saturday at the parking area of Divine Star dhaba in Karnal. Inspector General of Police (Karnal Range) Ashwin Shenvi said two youths from Yunispur village in Kurukshetra district arrived at the spot in a car. The bus, travelling from Delhi to Srinagar, also stopped in the dhaba’s parking area. While attempting to reverse and move ahead, the youths allegedly hit the bus, triggering a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical fight. Some bus passengers and dhaba employees also joined the confrontation, police said.
During the altercation, the two youths allegedly threw stones at the bus, breaking its windowpanes and damaging seats inside the vehicle. A passenger and a dhaba employee sustained injuries, Shenvi said. The bus left for its destination around 1.30 am.
Police registered an FIR and rounded up both men for questioning. Further investigation is underway.
Shenvi urged people to remain calm and maintain peace and harmony while the police investigate the matter.
Several political leaders in the valley condemned the stone-pelting attack on the sleeper bus in Haryana. The politicians demanded strict action against those responsible and steps to ensure the safety of Kashmiri travellers.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur condemned the attack, saying that targeting people because of their Kashmiri identity was unacceptable.
“Such incidents are not acceptable in Modi’s India. Kashmiris deserve the same dignity, respect and hospitality in every part of the country as any other citizen. No one should be harassed, assaulted or humiliated because they come from Kashmir,” he said in a statement.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed concern over the attack, saying an elderly passenger had been injured and others traumatised.
“Disturbed to learn about the attack on a Kashmir-bound bus in Haryana, leaving an elderly passenger injured and others traumatised. Reports of threats against J&K-registered vehicles are causing concern. Those in authority must ensure the safety of Kashmiri travellers and take swift and strict legal action against those responsible,” he said in a post on X.