Army personnel among four detained for 'assaulting' bus staff, passengers in Himachal's Hamirpur

The Hamirpur Police has detained four people, including an Army personnel, for allegedly blocking a road and assaulting a private bus driver, conductor and passengers in the Salasi area here, officials said on Thursday.The action was taken after a video of the group vandalising the Shimla-bound bus went viral.According to the officials, the confrontation took place around 4 am near Jhaniyari.

The Hamirpur Police has detained four people, including an Army personnel, for allegedly blocking a road and assaulting a private bus driver, conductor and passengers in the Salasi area here, officials said on Thursday.

The action was taken after a video of the group vandalising the Shimla-bound bus went viral.

According to the officials, the confrontation took place around 4 am near Jhaniyari. The accused, who were allegedly in an intoxicated state, had blocked the road with two cars.

When the bus, travelling from Dhaneta to Shimla, reached the spot, the driver and conductor requested the group to move their vehicles. This led to an argument, which quickly turned violent, they said.

The accused allegedly used sticks, stones and sharp weapons to assault the bus staff and passengers, the officials said, adding that they also issued life threats and damaged the windows of the vehicle bus before fleeing from the spot.

Shortly after the incident, one of the cars, an SUV, collided with a truck. A woman, identified as Puja, who was travelling in the SUV, sustained severe injuries and has been hospitalised, they said.

Hamirpur SP Balbir Singh Thakur said a case has been registered based on a complaint lodged by bus conductor Naresh Kumar.

''We have detained Kanishak Katnauria, Harash, Sahil Kumar, and Ajay Kumar. Ajay is a serving Army personnel. Three of the accused are local residents, while one works at a salon,'' the SP said.

The police have registered the case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 109 (abetment), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (assault to provoke breach of peace), 324(4) (causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 190 (unlawful assembly) and 191(2), 191(3) (rioting).

The police will also examine the past criminal records and workplaces of the accused, the SP added.

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