Punjab: Two behind vandalism of HRTC bus in Kharar held
Gagandeep, the main accused, is a cab driver who committed the crime incited by religious sentiments as evident through his social media posts, an official said
The two men who recently vandalised a bus of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) in Kharar have been arrested, the Mohali police said on Friday. They have been identified as Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Jandwala in Fazilka district, and Hardeep Singh of Kotla Nihang in Ropar district. A white Alto car (PB01C0595) has been seized that they had used to flee from the crime spot, the police said.
Gagandeep, the main accused, is a cab driver who committed the crime incited by religious sentiments as evident through his social media posts, an official said. After their arrest in Mohali, they were produced before a court that denied the police custody, sending them to judicial custody on Friday. DSP Karan Singh Sandhu said an application would be filed again to seek their police custody for investigation. The accused were traced with the help of human and technical intelligence, he said.
The Kharar City police zeroed in on them on the basis of their characteristics as described by the bus driver and others and also through mobile forensics. The incident took place at Kharar flyover around 6:45 pm on March 18 when two persons parked their car at the Kharar flyover near Shivjot Enclave, stopped the HP bus carrying 24 passengers and vandalised its front and side glasses. The bus was heading from Sector 43 in Chandigarh to Hamirpur. No passenger was harmed. The accused later fled in their car whose number plates were covered. An FIR was registered at the Kharar police station.
Recently, a controversy erupted after a group of youths from Punjab, displaying flags featuring Bhindranwale’s photo on their bikes in Manali, faced backlash from local residents. Later, posters carrying Bhindrawale’s picture were forcibly pasted on buses from Himachal Pradesh in Punjab. After vandalism incidents, the HRTC had suspended its services on 10 routes to Punjab and appealed to passengers to report any suspicious activities to the authorities in order to ensure their safety.
On Wednesday, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the assembly that he has spoken to the Punjab CM about the issue.
The Punjab Police have assured security for buses, passengers and vehicles from Himachal to Punjab.
