Stones pelted at Srinagar-bound bus in Ludhiana’s Khanna; no one injured

Ludhiana: A Delhi to Srinagar bus was attacked with stones near Doraha in Punjab, barely a day after another bus of the same company was targeted in Haryana.The incident took place on Sunday night when the bus was passing through Doraha in Khanna, said police.A stone thrown from the roadside smashed a windowpane, sending panic among passengers. However, no one was injured.

As soon as the information reached the police, a police team rushed to the spot and the bus was escorted safely out of Khanna.Khanna Superintendent of Police (Investigation) R K Yadav said an FIR has been registered at the Doraha police station and CCTV footage from nearby dhabas, petrol pumps and toll points is being scanned to trace the miscreants.

The police are treating the case with extra seriousness because the bus belongs to the same transport company whose vehicle was attacked in Haryana’s Karnal on Saturday.”Both incidents involve the same operator. We are probing whether there is a link between the two attacks,” Yadav said.

The police said the Doraha stretch of GT Road has witnessed similar incidents in the past, where trucks and buses have been pelted with stones, often by miscreants taking advantage of darkness and isolated spots.The back-to-back attacks have raised questions over the safety of night-time inter-state passengers, especially on the busy Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar route.

Investigation is underway to ascertain whether the attack was a case of mischief, extortion, rivalry or a targeted attempt.The bus resumed its journey to Srinagar after a brief halt under police escort.A Jammu and Kashmir-bound bus was pelted with stones following a dispute in Haryana’s Karnal district, leaving a passenger and a dhaba employee injured on Saturday.The incident drew a reaction from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who said his office had taken up the matter with the Haryana government.