Kanwariyas Attack School Bus: 2 Hindutva Activists Booked for Instigating Mob

Men who 'provoked' Kanwariyas to attack a school bus in Fatehabad were earlier booked for ruckus at a Gurdwara.

Men who "provoked" Kanwariyas to attack Akal Academy school bus in Fatehabad were earlier booked for "ruckus" at a Gurdwara.

(Photo: The Quint)

(Uncovering communal violence is a key focus area in The Quint's reportage. Such stories involve a lot of work and often come at great personal risk to our reporters. Please help us continue to expose hate.)

A group of men dressed as 'Kanwariyas' (devotees on a pilgrimage to Haridwar) allegedly attacked a school bus in Haryana's Fatehabad district, on Tuesday, 30 July, after an altercation broke out between the bus driver and some pilgrims.

Videos of the said incident showed unidentified assailants pelting stones at the school bus, and hitting it with sticks and rods, around 9 AM on Tuesday, in Fatehabad's Ratia. The bus belonged to Akal Academy Ajitsar — a Sikh-organisation-run school and bore the name of the school in English and Punjabi languages.

Ratia Police booked 40-50 unidentified men for attacking the bus, along with two locals, Vikas Grover aka 'Vicky' and Sanju Jangra, for allegedly "instigating the mob", under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The two locals, reported to have ties with local Bajrang Dal groups, were earlier booked in a separate case filed by a Gurdwara committee in Ratia, for allegedly causing disruption during renovation work at the Gurdwara in November 2023.

Meanwhile, the police also filed a cross-FIR against a few driver unions which held a protest in the city, shortly after the school bus was attacked.

So what happened in Ratia?

How a School Bus Came Under a Mob Attack

It was a normal day for driver Swaran Singh, driving to the Akal Academy Ajitsar school, located on the other side of the Ratia city, when he found his school bus — full with around 35 school children and three teachers — stuck in a traffic jam due to the annual 'Kanwar Yatra', at around 8.30 AM on Tuesday.

"There was a lot of traffic, he was driving slowly because of that. The 'kanwariyas' had made a huge makeshift 'rath' (chariot) out of a 'rehdi' (pull-cart). The driver accidentally grazed a welded iron rod on the 'rath' with his side-view mirror. The rod got slightly bent, which led to an altercation..," said Sukhdev Singh, Haryana zonal head and trustee, Kalgidhar Trust.

Kalgidhar Trust runs a chain of Akal Academy schools across the country. The main branch, commonly known as 'Baru Sahib', is located in Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh.

The makeshift 'rath' of the 'kanwariyas' which allegedly got damaged after being hit by the school bus, in Ratia on 30 July.

Bus of Ratia's Akal Academy Ajitsar school, which was attacked by the mob, in Ratia on 30 July.

"The driver told the 'kanwariyas' that he'll get the metal rod welded again. Some more buses of our school were also lined up behind this bus, so the driver deboarded the students and the teachers, and sent them to school in the other buses. So the driver waited back with the bus, and tried to pacify the pilgrims."

-Sukhdev Singh, Haryana zonal head and trustee, Kalgidhar Trust

School Bus Attacked in Front of Police

By around 9 AM, the Ratia police had also arrived at the spot, and was trying to pacify the 'kanwariyas'.

Sub-inspector Ranjeet Singh, SHO, Fatehabad City Police Station, told The Quint: "Even the police offered to repair the broken 'rath'. We had pacified the mob, and the kids were also deboarded from the bus."

"Suddenly, some more men came from behind, and started attacking the bus. We tried stopping them, but they had stones in their hands. We could have still stopped their sticks and rods, but how does one stop stones being pelted? We tried pacifying them, but it was a mob. Then, we thought it best to take the bus away. So we seized the bus, and drove it to the police station"

SI Ranjeet Singh, SHO, Fatehabad City PS

Police try to pacify the mob in Ratia, on 30 July.

(Photo accessed by The Quint)

The FIR of the incident, accessed by The Quint, names two Ratia residents, Vikas Grover aka 'Vicky' and Sanju Jangra, along with 40-50 unidentified men. They have been booked under sections 61, 115, 126, 190, 191 (2), 324 (4), and 351 (2), of the BNS.

The complainant, bus driver Swaran Singh, alleges that he was also beaten by the mob, which attacked the school bus after being "instigated" by Vikas and Sanju.

Trustee Sukhdev Singh added, "These two men are very notorious in the area. Everything was under control, but they came out of nowhere and instigated the mob against our driver. He was beaten very badly."

A TOI report of the incident claims the two men had ties with right-wing Hindu outfits, such as the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

"Luckily, the 35 students were deboarded. But what if the kids were still present? Loss to property doesn't matter to us, but who would have been responsible, had something happened to our kids?"

Sukhdev Singh, Haryana zonal head and trustee, Kalgidhar Trust

"Baru Sahib might be a Sikh-run school, but we have children from all religions studying here. Our mission is to preach humanity. We respect the tradition of 'kanwar yatra', they've been happening peacefully since ages. But who is to blame for this horrible attack on a school bus?" Sukhdev Singh said.

Later in the day, a protest broke out against the attack in the city.

"Several driver unions had blockaded a road in protest. They were later pacified by the police. A cross-FIR has also been filed against those protesting on the road," the SHO added.

History-Sheeters Were Earlier Booked for 'Ruckus' at Gurdwara

SI Ranjeet Singh confirmed that both Vikas and Sanju were earlier booked for allegedly causing ruckus at a gurdwara in Ratia, in November 2023.

"However, I was not (posted) here at that time, so I can't share details," the SHO added.

Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Purana Bazar, Ratia, is managed by the recently formed Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC).

Talking to The Quint, HSGPC Member Sukhsagar Singh alleged: "Construction of a basement was going on in the new building of the Gurdwara. In the morning, Vikas and Sanju arrived suddenly with unidentified men, and started causing ruckus. They abused Sikh Gurus, and entered the Gurdwara without following the 'maryada' (code of conduct) while we were offering 'ardas' (prayers). Ultimately, they got the construction stopped."

The Quint has also accessed a copy of the FIR in the said incident, filed on 5 November 2023, in which both the men were booked under sections 34 and 295(A) of the now-repealed Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Meanwhile, a probe is underway, and no arrests have been made, so far.