Stones, bricks hurled at J&K-bound bus in Haryana; Omar Abdullah urges action

A private sleeper bus travelling from Delhi to Srinagar was attacked with stones and bricks at a roadside dhaba in Haryana’s Karnal district on Saturday night (October 17), shattering several window panes and leaving an elderly passenger injured.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken up the incident with the Haryana government, seeking action and expressing concern over the safety of passengers travelling to the Union Territory.

The Office of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir said on Sunday that it had conveyed its concerns to the Haryana government over the attack on the J&K-bound bus.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said, “The Chief Minister’s Office has taken up the unfortunate incident involving a J&K-bound bus with the Government of Haryana, conveying concern for the safety and well-being of the passengers.”

“The Haryana administration has assured prompt and stringent action in accordance with the law. The J&K Government stands with the affected passengers and is closely monitoring the situation,” it added.

Bus attacked over parking dispute

The incident took place around 10.30 pm on October 17, when the Jammu and Kashmir-registered sleeper bus stopped at Divine Star Dhaba in Nilokheri, near Butana in Karnal district, for dinner.

According to the driver, Waqar, around 35 passengers were travelling on the 40-seater bus. Nearly 80 per cent of them had stepped out to eat when the attack took place.

According to India Today, Haryana Police's preliminary assessment suggests that the incident stemmed from a dispute over parking and giving way, rather than a communal attack.

Butana SHO Vipin Kumar and the investigating officer told media persons that the altercation involved a bus passenger and two youths travelling in a car. The two men were identified as Mohit and Sawan, residents of Yunispura village.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Waqar said the bus had stopped at the Divine Star Hotel in Nilokheri, beyond Karnal, when the confrontation 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.

Driver alleges threats to shoot passengers, burn bus

Waqar alleged that the attackers broke off the bus's rear number plate and took it away. He further claimed that they threatened the passengers and said vehicles registered in Jammu and Kashmir would not be allowed in Haryana.

“This is sheer hooliganism (gundagardi). God forbid, if most passengers hadn’t deboarded, lives could have been lost. They kept threatening us, saying, ‘We will shoot you, we will set the bus on fire.’ We want justice. This kind of hooliganism must stop,” he said.

The attack damaged several window panes, while an elderly passenger sustained injuries. The Jammu and Kashmir government said it was monitoring the situation and that the Haryana administration had assured action in accordance with the law.