A Srinagar-bound luxury bus was allegedly pelted with stones in Haryana’s Karnal on Saturday night injuring several Kashmiri passengers. The passengers accused the Haryana police of harassment alleging that instead of the attackers, they picked up one of the passengers.Haryana police, however, said the incident stemmed from a parking dispute and that no FIR had been registered with both parties reaching a compromise.Calling it an “unfortunate” incident, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken up the issue with the Haryana government. The Valley leaders, meanwhile, have termed the attack on the bus a “hate crime” against Kashmiris.This unfortunate incident should never have taken place. I hope the Haryana government lead by @NayabSainiBJP ji & @police_haryana catch the culprits & take action to ensure these things don’t happen again.— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 18, 2026On Saturday evening, the bus with Jammu and Kashmir registration number was allegedly targeted near Karnal by four people resulting in injury to four passengers and extensive damage to the bus. The bus, run by Star World Adventures, had ”Kashmir” painted on it in bold letters.“At around 10.30 in the night, the bus stopped near Divine Dhaba. There was a car with four passengers close by. They asked the driver to remove the ‘Kashmiri bus’ from the spot,” Aadil Ahmad Bhat, owner of Star World Adventures, told The Indian Express. “The driver thought they were asking for some space to take out their car. He told them there is enough space for it.”Bhat said the four persons came out of the car, entered the bus and beat up the driver. “After other passengers intervened, they left the place. Sometime later, they arrived again, this time on bikes, and pelted the bus with stones. Most of the passengers had gone to the dhaba and only a few of them were inside. Four of them were injured. An elderly man was hit on the nose by a stone. The bus was extensively damaged. All the window panes on its left side and windshield on the back side were broken into pieces,” he added.Vipin Kumar, SHO of Butana police station in Karnal district, told The Indian Express, “The dispute took place over a parking issue. There was no direct hit to anyone. We were told that the elderly person received injuries because a broken part of the bus’s mirror hit him after a brick hit the mirror.”The SHO said two occupants of the car were allegedly drunk and that a passenger on the bus had also consumed alcohol, which led to the dispute between the two parties.Story continues below this adBhat said the attackers shouted that they will not allow the “Kashmiri bus” to ply on the roads and tore away its registration number plate. “This time, the passengers hit back,” he said.Bhat said the police, instead of stopping the attackers and arresting them, picked up one of the passengers and threatened to book him for attacking police. “He was later released,” he said.The bus is expected to reach Srinagar on Sunday night.J&K CM Abdullah said “this unfortunate incident should never have taken place”.Story continues below this adThe CM’s office posted on X: “Chief Minister’s Office has taken up the unfortunate incident involving a J&K-bound bus with the Government of Haryana, conveying concern for the safety and well-being of the passengers.”The post stated that the Haryana administration has assured prompt and stringent action in accordance with the law. “The J&K Government stands with the affected passengers and is closely monitoring the situation,” read the post.Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para condemned the incident, demanding accountability. “Hate is making ordinary Kashmiris unsafe. We demand arrests and accountability,” he said.Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone called it a “disturbing incident of hate”. He said, “Targeting a vehicle carrying ordinary citizens and causing injuries to an elderly passenger is an act that must not go unchallenged,” he said. “This is an incident of hate. A lunatic, drunk on hatred for Kashmiris indulged in act of violence against ordinary civilians. I hope against hope that this incident is taken seriously and the attackers get the punishment that they deserve,” he added.Story continues below this adValley’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “Reports of threats against J&K-registered vehicles are causing concern among people. Those in authority must ensure the safety of Kashmiri travellers and take swift and strict legal action against those responsible.”(Inputs from ENS, Chandigarh)