4 More HRTC Buses Vandalized; No Night Halts in Punjab, Says HP Dy CM

At least four buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), parked at the Amritsar bus stand, were vandalized and pro-Khalistan slogans were scribbled on them, police said on Saturday.

- Surjit Singh & Shailee Dogra

AMRITSAR/SHIMLA: At least four buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), parked at the Amritsar bus stand, were vandalized and pro-Khalistan slogans were scribbled on them, police said on Saturday.

This comes days after an HRTC bus was damaged in Punjab's Kharar amid a row over the removal of posters/flags of slain militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the motorbikes of a group of youths from Punjab by locals in Himachal.

In the wake of these attacks, Himachal Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said there would be no night halts for HRTC buses in Punjab until the AAP dispensation ensures their safety and that of passengers.

HRTC divisional manager Raj Kumar Pathak said the buses that were vandalized were supposed to go to Bilaspur, Sujanpur, and Jwalaji. Slogans were written on a Hamirpur-bound bus, he said.