Chinese tourist hurt as Holi revellers pelt bus with stones
GORAKHPUR : A Chinese tourist suffered minor injuries in his eyes and nose when the bus carrying him and 20 other foreign tourists was pelted with stones by two unidentified Holi revellers in Shahpur locality of the city on Friday, police said.
“It was not an attack but handiwork of some people who were returning on bikes after celebrating Holi. We have registered a complaint against unidentified people under Section 336 427 of the IPC,” said Om Hari Vajpayee, station house officer of Shahpur police station.
The police lodged an FIR against unknown people on the basis of the complaint filed by bus driver Zaheer Ahmed of Varanasi, he added.
The Chinese tourist was given first aid, the cop said. The incident took place near 26 PAC battalion, Buchhia around 1.30pm when the bus (UP 65 DT 0456) was on way to Kushinagar from Lumbini, he said.
The front window glass and door panes of the bus, carrying Chinese and Australian tourists on a pilgrimage tour to Buddhist circuit, were broken in the incident, the police said.
“Two youths came on bike from behind and started pelting stones as I tried to speed off. Smeared in colours, they chased us up to 100 metres and hurled abuses too,” alleged the driver.
As per the bus driver, the foreign nationals began their tour from Delhi last week for Buddhist circuit including Shravasti, Sarnath, Lumbini and Bodh Gaya. He added that the tour would conclude in Varanasi this week. Meanwhile, bus owner Vijay Jaiswal alleged that over 15 buses running to Kushinagar, Sharavsti and Gaya were attacked on Holi.