A private sleeper bus carrying passengers from Jammu and Kashmir was targeted with stones and bricks at a dhaba near Nilokheri on Saturday night, leaving a passenger and a worker injured, the police said. Two persons have been arrested.J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the incident and urged the Haryana Government to act against those involved. “This unfortunate incident should never have taken place. I hope the Haryana Government led by Nayab Saini and Haryana Police… take action to ensure these things don’t happen again,” he posted on X. He said the administration had assured prompt and stringent action in accordance with the law.The Haryana Police denied any hate crime angle and maintained that the matter began as a roadside argument. Karnal Superintendent of Police Karan Goel, who visited the scene to take stock of the situation, said the police received information around 10 pm about an altercation between the drivers of a bus and a car near Divine Star Dhaba. A police team reached the spot and found the windowpanes of the bus damaged. The occupants of a white Maruti Baleno, identified as Mohit and Sawan, were immediately detained.On the complaint of the dhaba manager, the Karnal police later registered a case and arrested two car occupants, who allegedly pelted the bus with stones and bricks.“Preliminary inquiries by the Karnal police revealed that a verbal spat took place between the two drivers over parking outside the dhaba. The argument escalated, during which the accused damaged the windowpanes of the bus, and one of the passengers was injured,” SP Goel said.“No formal complaint was filed by the bus driver, conductor or any passenger. The bus later proceeded towards Srinagar. On a complaint submitted by the dhaba manager, an FIR was registered at the Butana police station. Both accused have been arrested, and the car involved impounded. Further action is under way as per the law,” he added.SP Goel clarified that the incident stemmed purely from a spontaneous dispute over parking and contained no element of a hate crime. He requested the public not to pay heed to social media rumours.Meanwhile, National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar termed the incident a hate crime. “Stones and bricks pelted on a Kashmir bus (with a J&K registration number) on the Delhi-Srinagar route near Kurukshetra in an alleged hate crime. One elderly Kashmiri man was injured in the attack. Families left helpless and terrified. We condemn the murderous attack on innocent people and demand action against the perpetrators. Requesting Haryana Police to take cognisance of the event, identify the culprits and take action,” Dar posted on X.