SRINAGAR: In second such incident in as many days, a Kashmir-bound passenger bus was attacked with stones near Ludhiana in Punjab, raising concerns over safety of Kashmir-bound passengers.
The stone pelting attack on a 40-seater sleeper passenger bus operated by Star World Ventures, which was on way from Delhi to Srinagar, took place while it was traveling near Ludhiana in Punjab at around 11 pm yesterday.
In the stone pelting attack, the glass panes of the Volvo bus suffered damage.
According to the driver of the bus, Ishfaq Ahmad, the stones hit the running bus at four spots, causing damage to the bus. He said the stone pelting attack caused panic and frightened the passengers including women, children and elderly persons travelling in the bus.
“Is it a sin to travel on this road,” Ishfaq said.
It is the second attack on the Kashmir-bound passenger bus in two days.
Earlier, on Saturday evening, the Kashmir-bound bus operated by Star World Ventures had come under stone pelting at Divine Star Dhaba near Kurukshetra in Haryana.
The Haryana police has detained two people for the attack.
“They have attacked two of our buses in two days. Who will compensate for the losses,” Ishfaq said.
While Haryana police has claimed that yesterday’s incident near Kurukshetra in Haryana was result of dispute over parking, bus driver Waqar has disputed the police version.
He alleged that the occupants of a private car near the dhaba objected to the bus from J&K being parked there.
“One of the men shouted, “Atankwadi gaadi nikal yahan se”. He said remove the vehicle from here as no J&K vehicle should be allowed to ply in Haryana,” Waqar said.
In the stone pelting attack, the vehicle’s glass window panes were smashed and an elderly passenger injured.
“They also beat me up,” Waqar had said, adding the situation could have been much worse had more passengers remained inside the bus.
The ruling party National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar condemned the attack on a bus in Punjab and demanded exemplary action against the accused.
“Troubling news! Did the way the Haryana bus attackers were handled, embolden more perpetrators of hate? This time Punjab,” Imran posted on X.
He said these were tolerant areas, and “now becoming rabid, anti-Kashmir, anti-Muslim hotspots.”
“Exemplary action must be taken against the accused,” he demanded.
J&K Students Association national convener Nasir Khuehami questioned, “Why this hatred towards Kashmiris? Why should people from Kashmir fear for their safety while travelling through different parts of the country?”
He urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and DGP Punjab Police to take immediate cognisance of the incident, ensure a thorough and impartial investigation, identify those responsible, and take strict legal action against the perpetrators.
Khuehami said repeated incidents targeting Kashmir-bound vehicles raise serious concerns about the safety and security of Kashmiri passengers.
“No one should be targeted, threatened, or intimidated because of their identity or place of origin,” he said adding, “National unity cannot be built on slogans alone; it must be reflected in the way every citizen is treated”.
The attack on Kashmir bound buses has evoked strong condemnation from political parties including BJP, civil society groups and trade bodies in J&K.