A Srinagar-bound private sleeper Volvo bus was targeted by unidentified men in Punjab late on Sunday, marking the second stone-pelting incident involving buses operated by the same company in two days, news agency UNI reported. The latest incident occurred around 11 pm on the Delhi-Jammu highway near Ludhiana, when stones were hurled at the bus operated by Star World Ventures, according to its driver Ishfaq Ahmad. Ahmad said there were 38 passengers on board, including women and children, and that all passengers were safe, adding that the bus's strong glass windows helped protect them.
Daily Jagran's correspondent in Khanna reported the incident took place near Doraha town in Ludhiana district around 11:50 pm on Sunday, that a window pane was shattered, and that about 35 passengers were inside. Khanna Police said they received information through the 112 helpline around 11:15 pm, rushed to the spot, recorded the driver's statement and registered a case against unidentified persons.
Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Rakesh Kumar Yadav said police escorted the bus out of their jurisdiction under security cover, were examining CCTV footage, and were probing whether the two incidents were connected, coordinating with Haryana Police. Police said investigators suspect, as a line of inquiry and not as an established fact, that the attack could be linked to the earlier dispute or a personal or business rivalry.
The incident comes a day after another bus operated by the same company, carrying passengers from Jammu and Kashmir, was attacked with stones and bricks at a roadside dhaba in Haryana's Karnal district on Saturday night. That attack left a passenger and a worker injured, while two persons were arrested in connection with the incident, UNI reported.
In the Haryana case, the driver had alleged that attackers called him a "terrorist" after noticing the vehicle's registration number — that is his allegation. Karnal Police claimed that matter stemmed from a parking dispute and ruled out a hate-crime angle. Ruling National Conference leader Imran Dar termed the Punjab attack troubling news and demanded exemplary action against the accused — that is his statement. No motive for the Ludhiana incident has been established by police so far.
Sources: UNI via The Kashmir Horizon; Daily Jagran (Khanna correspondent); Khanna Police statements reported by Twasl News.