Srinagar, Oct 18: A Srinagar-bound bus was attacked with bricks and stones at a roadside dhaba in Haryana’s Karnal district on Saturday night, leaving an elderly passenger injured and the windowpanes of the vehicle smashed, according to the bus operator and videos that went viral on social media.
The attack took place at Divine Star Dhaba, near Nilokheri, under the jurisdiction of Butana police station, along the Delhi-Srinagar national highway. The J&K-registered sleeper bus, operated by Star World Ventures, had left Delhi at 4 pm with around 40 passengers on board, its owner said.
After the videos surfaced, the Office of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raised the matter with the Haryana government and sought to ensure the passengers’ safety.
“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 CMO said. It added that the Haryana administration had assured prompt and stringent action in accordance with the law, and that the J&K Government “stands with the affected passengers and is closely monitoring the situation.”
In a post on X, Omar said, “This unfortunate incident should never have taken place.” He expressed hope that the Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, and Haryana Police would catch the culprits and take action so that such incidents do not happen again.
Later, in the day, CM Abdullah said the Haryana administration had 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,” he said in a post on his official X handle.
Adil Bhat, owner of Star World Ventures, told Rising Kashmir over phone that the bus had stopped at the dhaba for dinner. Some passengers who prefer not to eat during a journey stayed inside the bus, he said.
Bhat said two men from Haryana, who had come in a Baleno car, got into an argument with the driver and tried to beat him while the passengers were having dinner. They left after the initial altercation but returned on a motorcycle and began smashing the windowpanes with bricks, he said. Bhat alleged that the bus was targeted because it was J&K-registered. The elderly man, who was inside the bus, was injured, he said.
“The bus later left the spot around 3 am and is scheduled to reach Srinagar by Sunday evening,” Bhat said.
Political leaders including Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami, PC president Sajad Lone, PDP MLA Waheed Para, J&K BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur, Awami Ittehad Party, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam Farooqi, among others, condemned the attack and sought strict action against those responsible.
