Palampur, April 9
In a disturbing roadside confrontation in Himachal Pradesh, three youth from Punjab have been arrested after allegedly attacking the driver, conductor, and passengers of a long-distance Volvo bus with a knife and pistol, the police said on Thursday. The incident occurred near Bairghatta in the Bhawarna area of Kangra district on Wednesday evening. Sharing details, the police said that the suspects, travelling in a black Mahindra Thar, stopped the bus and then assaulted the crew and passengers. One victim was stabbed, while shots were reportedly fired into the air, causing panic among those on board. The arrested individuals have been named as Balwinder Singh and Alish from Pathankot, and Nishan Pal from Hoshiarpur. All three were later arrested by the police.
The injured include bus driver Sunder Singh (27) and passenger Vijay Kumar (38), both from Mandi, along with Raj Kumar and Pravesh Kumar (35) from Kangra. Two of the victims were transferred to a larger hospital in Tanda for further treatment after initial care at a local community health centre. Following a complaint from the bus conductor, Avinash of Chamba, police registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to rioting, hurt, and intimidation, along with the Arms Act. The police also recovered the Thar vehicle, the knife, and the pistol used in the attack. Superintendent of Police Ashok Rattan told the media that a thorough investigation is ongoing.
