Following a vandalism incident involving HRTC buses in Mohali and Amritsar, the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has banned night-stop bus services on 20 routes in Punjab. Officials decided to prohibit bus operations that include overnight pauses at small stations in Punjab at a corporation meeting on Saturday. In connection with the occurrences, the company has also filed an FIR.

Punjab’s HRTC Stops Night Stops
At least 20 buses, including 10 in Amritsar, 4 in Hoshiarpur, 4 in Ludhiana, and 2 in Jalandhar, reportedly had overnight stops in Punjab in the past, according to HRTC. There are over 600 buses in HRTC’s fleet, and they travel across Punjab.

Mukesh Agnihotri, the deputy chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, told the state parliament about the vandalism that occurred on HRTC buses. According to him, three buses that were parked at an Amritsar bus station had their windshields broken and were vandalized. He said that the neighboring state of Punjab often targets state-owned buses.

He informed the crowd that divisive posters were affixed to the buses in addition to the damage. Additionally, the deputy CM said that two suspects were taken into custody after a formal complaint on the event. He also spoke with the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Punjab Chief Minister about the issue.

Graffiti Featuring “Khalistan” on a Vandalized Bus
In addition to the three buses that were vandalized in Amritsar, one of the vehicles also had the words “Khalistan” written on it. Two people were taken into custody after a similar occurrence at Hoshiarpur Bus Station earlier. The incident occurred days after two unidentified individuals in Kharar, Mohali, broke the windshield and a few glasses of an HRTC bus.

These events almost followed a dispute that started after some Himachal Pradesh residents took banners featuring the picture of the insurgent Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale off a group of Punjabi youngsters’ motorcycles. In Hoshiarpur, Dal Khalsa and Sikh Youth of Punjab activists posted pictures of Bhindranwale on HRTC buses and a few private ones as a way to express their rage.