Srinagar, October 18, KDC: Haryana Police on Sunday said the alleged attack on a Jammu and Kashmir-registered sleeper bus near Divine Star Dhaba in Karnal stemmed from a road-rage dispute over giving way, ruling out a communal or region-specific motive in the incident that left an elderly Kashmiri passenger injured and damaged the vehicle.
According to the police, a preliminary inquiry and scrutiny of CCTV footage indicated that the altercation began around 9:30 pm on Saturday near Divine Star Dhaba along National Highway-44, when the bus driver allegedly did not move the vehicle to allow a car to exit the parking area.
Butana Police Station in-charge Vipin Kumar said police received information about a dispute involving the private bus and a car through the Police Response Vehicle (PRV).
Speaking to reporters in Karnal, Kumar identified the two occupants of the car as Mohit and Sawan, residents of Yunispur village, and the passenger involved in the altercation as Syed Arfat.
He said the passenger and the two local men had consumed alcohol before the argument broke out.
According to the preliminary police account, the two youths entered the bus and got into a scuffle with the driver. Passengers intervened, following which the youths reportedly withdrew after finding themselves outnumbered.
While leaving, they allegedly hurled a brick and stones at the bus, damaging its windowpanes and windscreen before police arrived.
Kumar said CCTV footage reviewed by police showed two men involved in a fight with the bus passenger. He added that the police were investigating the incident and had repeatedly asked the passenger to submit a formal complaint, but no complaint had been received at the time of his statement.
“We are investigating against those boys,” Kumar said.
In a clarification, Haryana Police said the incident was not related to religion or the bus’s Jammu and Kashmir registration number and appealed to people to maintain peace and verify information before sharing it on social media.
Police said they had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and assured strict action against those involved in stone-pelting.
A preliminary account of the incident also stated that the bus driver, the two youths, the passengers and the dhaba owner, Yogendra Kundu, subsequently went to the local police station, where a compromise was reportedly reached. No case was registered at that stage.
However, after the incident gained traction on social media, police reportedly apprehended the two youths again, and registration of an FIR was expected. The status of the formal registration of the case was not immediately clear.
Police also alleged that a passenger assaulted a police personnel during the commotion following the initial scuffle. The exact circumstances in which the elderly passenger sustained injuries have not been established in the available account.
The incident came to light after reports emerged that a luxury sleeper bus operated by Star World Ventures and travelling from Delhi to Srinagar had been attacked near Divine Star Dhaba late Saturday night. The vehicle, bearing registration number JK01BE8013 and carrying around 40 passengers, reportedly suffered damage to several windowpanes and its tail lights.
An elderly passenger from Kashmir was reported injured in the incident. Videos subsequently circulated on social media purportedly showing broken windows, debris inside the bus and the injured passenger.
Earlier, the bus operator had alleged that a group of men assaulted the driver, pelted stones at the vehicle and threatened that buses registered in Jammu and Kashmir would not be allowed to operate in Haryana.
The police account, however, described the incident as a road-rage dispute arising from an argument over giving way and parking.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken up the matter with the Haryana government and said his office had been assured that prompt and stringent action would be taken in accordance with the law.
“The J&K Government stands with the affected passengers and is closely monitoring the situation,” Abdullah said in a post on his official X handle.
In an earlier post, the Chief Minister had urged his Haryana counterpart, Nayab Singh Saini, to ensure that those responsible were identified and brought to justice.
National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar condemned the incident, describing it as a hate crime and demanding action against those involved. Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra also criticised the incident, saying that “hate is making ordinary Kashmiris unsafe.”
Haryana Police have appealed to people not to circulate unverified claims that could disturb communal harmony, while assuring action against those responsible for the damage to the bus. (KDC)
