Goons using amnesty for stone pelters to pelt more stones: Omar

Concerned over the incident of stone pelting on a school bus in Shopian, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said that the amnesty granted to stone pelters was to encourage "reasonable behaviour".

He added that some "goons" were determined to use the amnesty as an opportunity to pelt more stones.

"The amnesty granted to stone-pelters was meant to encourage more reasonable behaviour but some of these goons are determined to use the opportunity given to them to just pelt more stones," Omar said in a tweet.

In January, JK Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti announced amnesty for all first time stone pelting offenders since 2008.

A class 2 student suffered a head injury today when the school bus carrying him was attacked by stone pelters.

"How does pelting stones on school children or tourist buses help advance the agenda of these stone pelters? These attacks deserve our unequivocal condemnation & this tweet is mine.

"School children attacked, tourists attacked, MLA's home petrol bombed. Sadly Kashmir is just a steady series of bad news most of the time these days," he added.

The incident also evoked sharp reaction from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who said perpetrators of this senseless and cowardly act will be brought to justice soon.

"Shocked and angered to hear of the attack on a school bus in Shopian. The perpetrators of this senseless and cowardly act will be brought to justice," she tweeted. PTI MIJ