4 HRTC buses vandalised in Amritsar, FIR lodged
The row over displaying slain militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale posters escalated on Saturday with four buses of Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation (HRTC) parked in Amritsar bus stand being damaged and defaced with ‘Khalistan’ slogans by unknown persons.
The row over displaying slain militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale posters escalated on Saturday with four buses of Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation (HRTC) parked in Amritsar bus stand being damaged and defaced with ‘Khalistan’ slogans by unknown persons.
The incident happened on Friday night at Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Amritsar and reacting sharply, the Himachal government said that if the incidents continue they might suspend several routes and also stop overnight parking of the buses in Punjab.
Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, in a statement in the assembly, said: “The targeted attacks are a matter of grave concern. The state government will talk to the Punjab government and request them to ensure the safety of the Himachal buses. The government might suspend several routes and pull all vehicles out of Punjab.”
A similar incident took place on March 18 when an HRTC bus (Chandigarh-Hamirpur) was vandalised at Kharar near Mohali.
The vandalism in Amritsar was noticed by the locals and staff of the buses on Saturday morning. The windscreens of the buses were broken and the word ‘Khalistan’ was found written in Punjabi on the vehicles’ front and sides.
The affected buses in the latest incident were plying on Amritsar-Bilaspur, Amritsar-Sujanpur, and Amritsar-Jwala Ji routes.
“We were sleeping in our restroom. In the morning, we found the buses damaged. It appears that the miscreants pelted stones at the buses to damage their window panes. We have lodged a complaint with the local police besides informing our senior officers who are coming to take stock of the situation,” said HRTC conductor Kashmiri Lal.
After being informed, the police reached the ISBT. The slogans were removed and an investigation was initiated after registering an FIR against unknown persons. Police officials said action is being taken and culprits will be nabbed soon.
The present row escalated following a recent face-off over the display of flags with Bhindranwale’s photo on motorcycles of tourists from Punjab in Manali, Himachal Pradesh.
In the purported video clips, local people and the cops were seen objecting to the flags. Locals were also seen removing the flags and crushing them under their feet. Manali police registered FIRs against the tourists for allegedly violating rules, creating chaos and indiscipline, on complaints of locals. The development in HP invited harsh reactions from Punjab, especially the Sikh segments. Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami condemned the action against Bhindranwale’s photo. Dal Khalsa activists pasted portraits of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on Himachal buses further escalating the row.
In connection with the Kharar incident, police arrested Rupnagar resident Hardeep Singh and Fazilka resident Gagandeep Singh. After the incidents, the HRTC indefinitely suspended services on 10 routes to Punjab with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu speaking to his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday.
Agnihotri slams ‘targeted’ attacks on state buses
Raising concern over the attacks on HRTC buses, deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that as many as 600 routes/buses plied by HRTC cross through Punjab and the targeted attack is a matter of grave concern.
Agnihotri, who also holds the transport portfolio, in a statement in the assembly, said: “HRTC buses are being attacked continuously in Punjab. The state government will talk to the Punjab government and request them to ensure the safety of the Himachal buses. We are contemplating that night parking of vehicles will not be done in Punjab till the state assures us of safety. We are in touch with the Punjab Police and transport department.”
Agnihotri added that the government might suspend several routes and pull all vehicles out of Punjab.
“We are also making the central government aware of the situation. There needs to be a permanent solution to this problem. The attack on four buses in Amritsar seems to be in retaliation after two people were arrested for the Kharar attack. This time the vehicles that were parked inside the bus stand,” he said.
Meanwhile, in response to the pasting of Bhindranwale’s posters in Himachal vehicles, Anti-Terrorist Front India’s outfit’s chief Viresh Shandilya along with activists pasted pictures of Bharat Mata on Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) buses in Shimla.
“Putting up Bhindranwale’s posters on HRTC buses was an attempt to disturb the peace of Himachal. We will put up Bharat Mata’s posters on PRTC buses coming from Punjab at ISBT Shimla,” he said.