CHANDIGARH, India: Some unidentified gummer killed fifteen passengers, fourteen belonged to one community a Kanyawale village about 15 kilo meters from Muktsar in Punjab These passengers were travelling a Punjab Roadways Bus from Muktsar which was bound for Chandigarh on the morning on July 25th. 14 person were killed i the bus and one passenger died on the way to the hospital at Ludh. Jana, An indefinite curfew was imposed in the Muktsar Tower immediately after this incident Four of the injured persons were admitted to the Ludhiana Hospital while two others were admitted to civil hospital in Muktsar. The two of the four admitted in Ludhiana Hospital are stated to be in serious: condition.

The Punjab Governor, Mr. SS. Ray and the Chief Minister, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala, rushed to the scene after receiving the news of this mishap. The Union Home Minister, Mr. Buta Singh also visited the site of shooting. The bus left Muktsar at 5:00 a.m., for Chandigarh, As soon as the bus reached Lubyana village on Muktsar Sadiq Road one of the gunmen asked the driver at gun-point to drive the bus to the link road leading to Kanyawale village: As the vehicle slowed down two passengers jumped down and an towards Mukatsar. They ran to the police station and informed that the bus had been hijacked by four gunmen, the gunmen were stated to be four in number, the members of one community and ladies were asked to get down from the bus. The remaining passengers were asked to bow their heads; they were then shot through their heads with stinging and revolvers. After the incident, they left the bus and boarded the tractor standing nearby and escaped.

The D.I.G. Ferozpur said that all the four gunmen boarded the busat Mukatsar, They were armed with stinginess and revolvers, Police found large number of empty.

Cartridges at the scene of the incident. The gunmen had a wireless set and according to survivors, they were talking to someone with it According to the D.I.G., the gunmen were of the age group of 2125. Police parties were sent out in search of these culprits and a case has been registered.

A complete strike was observed in Moga, Bagha Purana, Kot Kapura, Faridkot, and Sadiq in protest. Against these killings, Punjab, Haryana, U.P. and Chandigarh also observed Bandh the next day in protest against these killings and demanded from the Punjab government to stop the violent killings in the State.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 1, 1986