English
English
English
Punjab Police arrest a Uttar Pradesh man over alleged stone-pelting at a Srinagar-bound passenger bus near Doraha. (Dynamite News)
Ludhiana: Punjab Police have arrested a man from Uttar Pradesh in connection with a stone-pelting incident involving a Srinagar-bound passenger bus near Doraha in Ludhiana district, with investigators suspecting that the attack may have been intended to force vehicles to stop and facilitate snatching. Police have identified two alleged accomplices who remain absconding, while CCTV footage and other technical evidence have helped investigators trace the suspected suspects’ movements.
The arrest was made on Friday, October 23, five days after the incident. The accused has been identified as Abhishek, alias Golu, a native of Tadi Ghat village in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district. He was reportedly living in Doraha and working at a local factory at the time of his arrest.
According to police, the investigation is examining whether the stone-pelting was part of a broader pattern of targeting moving vehicles on relatively isolated stretches of road. Authorities have said the available findings do not indicate that the bus was attacked because it was travelling to Kashmir, although the case remains under investigation.
The incident occurred at approximately 11 pm on Sunday, October 18, when a Delhi-to-Srinagar passenger bus operated by Kashmir-based transport company Star World Venture was travelling through the Doraha area of Punjab’s Ludhiana district.
According to reports, unidentified individuals allegedly pelted stones at the moving bus, shattering one of its windowpanes. No injuries were reported in the Punjab incident.
Police responded after receiving information about the attack and arranged an escort to help the bus leave their jurisdiction safely. The incident prompted concerns about passenger security on inter-state routes, particularly for vehicles undertaking late-night journeys.
The case also attracted attention because another bus operated by the same transport company had reportedly been targeted in a separate stone-pelting incident in Haryana’s Karnal district the previous night. Punjab Police have, however, stated that the two incidents are unrelated.
Khanna Police said CCTV footage and technical evidence played an important role in identifying the suspected individuals involved in the Doraha incident.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Harmanpreet Singh Cheema said investigators had identified three suspects who allegedly arrived on a motorcycle. According to the police theory, the individuals may have been targeting vehicles travelling along less crowded stretches of road, pelting stones in an attempt to make drivers stop and then attempting to snatch belongings from occupants.
Khanna Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Rakesh Kumar Yadav said the arrested accused had previously been booked in a snatching case. Police also alleged that he attempted to pelt stones at a truck travelling on the same route on the day of the bus incident.
Investigators are continuing efforts to trace and apprehend the two remaining suspects. Their alleged roles, the sequence of events and the precise motive behind the attack remain subject to further investigation.
The incident initially raised questions about whether the bus had been deliberately targeted because it was travelling to Srinagar, particularly in light of the separate incident reported in Haryana.
Khanna Police have said their investigation has not established a hate-crime motive in the Doraha case. SP Rakesh Kumar Yadav stated that the bus’s Kashmir-bound destination appeared to be coincidental, adding that other vehicles travelling along the route had allegedly also been targeted.
Police have therefore indicated that attempted snatching and mischief are the suspected motives, rather than a deliberate attack against Kashmiri passengers. This remains the police assessment at the current stage of the investigation and should not be treated as a final judicial finding.
The Punjab case must be distinguished from the attack involving another Srinagar-bound bus in Haryana’s Karnal district on the night of October 17.
Reports concerning the Karnal incident said the confrontation followed an altercation in the parking area of a roadside eatery. Passengers and a dhaba employee were reportedly injured. Haryana Police attributed the incident to a parking dispute, while accounts from the bus driver and operator raised concerns about alleged anti-Kashmiri remarks.
Punjab Police have said the Doraha incident is not connected to the Karnal case. The reported circumstances, evidence and police findings in the two investigations therefore need to be assessed separately.
The arrest has renewed attention on passenger safety along major inter-state routes connecting Delhi, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Stone-pelting at moving vehicles can cause drivers to lose control, endanger passengers and create conditions for further criminal activity, regardless of the suspected motive.
While Punjab Police have said they have not found evidence that the Doraha bus was targeted because it was bound for Kashmir, the alleged attempt to force vehicles to stop remains a serious public-safety concern.
Police are continuing the search for the two alleged accomplices and investigating the suspected pattern of vehicle targeting. The accused remains subject to the legal process, and criminal liability will ultimately be determined by the courts.
