JAMMU, Oct 18: A luxury sleeper bus travelling from Delhi to Srinagar was allegedly attacked with stones near Kurukshetra in Haryana, leaving an elderly Kashmiri passenger injured, according to claims circulating on social media.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the reported incident and urged the Haryana government and police to identify those responsible and take appropriate action.
Abdullah responded to a post by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Imran Nabi Dar, who shared the allegations on X and described the incident as an alleged hate crime. The post claimed that stones and bricks were hurled at a Jammu and Kashmir-registered bus travelling on the Delhi-Srinagar route near Kurukshetra.
“This unfortunate incident should never have taken place,” Abdullah wrote on X. He also expressed hope that the Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, and the Haryana Police would identify those responsible and take action to prevent similar incidents.
In the post shared by Abdullah, Dar alleged that the bus was targeted because it was carrying Kashmiri passengers. He claimed that an elderly Kashmiri man was injured and that families travelling on the bus were left frightened and helpless.
Dar condemned the reported attack and urged the Haryana Police to take cognisance of the matter, identify the alleged perpetrators and initiate appropriate action.
However, the allegation that the incident was motivated by hostility towards Kashmiris could not be independently verified. The circumstances surrounding the reported stone-pelting, as well as the identities and motives of those involved, remain unclear.
A video circulating on social media purportedly showed damage to a luxury sleeper bus operated by Star World Ventures, which runs services between Delhi and Srinagar. A post accompanying the video claimed that the bus was attacked near Kurukshetra, resulting in damage including shattered windows, broken tail lights and a bent number plate.
Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the circumstances of the reported incident or established the motive behind the alleged attack.
