Four tourists from Haryana, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly assaulting a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) driver near Shimla on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Pratibha, Pankaj, Vikas Kumar and Vicky Kumar, all residents of Abheypur village in Panchkula district of Haryana. The injured driver has been identified as Rajinder Singh.
The incident occurred on National Highway-5 near Kachighati when an HRTC Volvo bus travelling from Delhi to Rohru overtook two Haryana-registered vehicles in which the accused were travelling.
According to police, the accused became enraged after being overtaken and allegedly intercepted the bus. They then dragged the driver out of the vehicle and assaulted him, causing head injuries. Eyewitnesses said the conductor applied the handbrake and brought the bus to a halt, preventing a possible accident.
Police personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident and apprehended two of the accused on the spot. The remaining two, who had fled, were later arrested from Theog.
The injured driver was shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, where he is undergoing treatment.
Shimla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Singh confirmed the arrests and said a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Further investigation is underway.
The incident triggered protests by HRTC drivers in Shimla, who demanded stringent action against those involved in attacks on transport corporation employees.
Man Singh Thakur, state president of the HRTC Drivers’ Union, said incidents of tourists allegedly assaulting HRTC drivers and conductors were being reported repeatedly and called for stronger action against offenders. He alleged that such incidents were increasing due to what he described as leniency towards unruly tourists.