Police said the bus of Rainbow School, carrying 20-25 students, was attacked at Narpora village at 9.25 am, leaving all of them scared.
Stone-throwers attacked a school bus that left a second grader with grievous head injuries in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday morning, triggering shock and anger within and outside the troubled state.
Eight-year-old Rehan was rushed to Srinagar's Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. Police rushed to the spot, registered a case and is trying to identify the attackers. "This is against humanity and he could have been anyone's child," media reports quoted the child's father as saying. Reports also said that two more students were injured in the attack.
Police said the bus of Rainbow School, carrying 20-25 students, was attacked at Narpora village at 9.25 am, leaving all of them scared. The driver rushed the vehicle to safety, while some stones hit the windscreens.
Shopian SP Shailendra Kumar Mishra said there was no law and order problem or movement of security vehicles in the area that could have provoked the attackers. Stone-pelting by youth in Kashmir is common, but the target has mostly been security forces.
J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that she was shocked and angered to hear of the attack, and assured that the perpetrators of "this senseless and cowardly" act will be brought to justice.
J&K DGP Shesh Paul Vaid said it was "complete madness how stone-pelters are targeting young school children". These criminals will face the law, he said.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called the attack shocking and disturbing "Such behaviour calls for condemnation from all. The government will maintain law and order take strict action. We will leave no stone unturned to protect students who want to pursue education," the BJP leader said in Delhi.
Former J&K CM and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said the amnesties granted to stone-pelters was meant to encourage more reasonable behaviour but some of "these goons are determined to use the opportunity to just pelt more stones."
Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani expressed his dismay and blamed "some unscrupulous elements" for the attack. "Our strength lies in discipline. We should keep strict vigil over those involved in these incidents", he said.
Last year, the J&K government announced an amnesty to some 9,000 first-time stone-pelters booked by police. The idea was to bring them back to their families and help them start life afresh.
This is the third incident in the last three days in which stone-throwers have attacked innocent civilians. Seven tourists were injured on Monday. A civilian was also injured in Anantnag's Seer village on Tuesday.
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 "Students injured during the attack in Shopian")
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