IndiaHell on Wheels

Bus Driver Hari Singh pulled his crowded vehicle out of the Punjab capital of Chandigarh shortly after nightfall for what was to have been a routine trip to Rishikesh, a Hindu pilgrim center in Uttar Pradesh. But half an hour into the journey, a white Fiat suddenly stopped in front of the bus, forming a blockade. Five armed men, four of them turbaned in the manner of Sikhs, burst out of the car, threw Singh off the bus and commandeered his vehicle. After driving the bus to a nearby field, the gunmen opened fire, instantly killing 38 men, women and children and wounding 20 more, two of whom also died.

Less than 24 hours later, in the neighboring state of Haryana, Sikh militants stopped a bus on a bridge near the town of Fatehabad, about 120 miles southwest of Chandigarh, and opened fire, killing 28 of the 45 people on board. Shortly afterward, the terrorists shot at another bus, killingfour more people.

The grisly attacks, which left a total of 72 dead, were India's worst acts of political violence since Sikh extremists launched a movement five years ago to gain an independent homeland in Punjab, which has a Sikh majority. The assaults are believed to have been carried out by the Khalistan Commando Force, a militant Sikh organization.

The massacres touched off a spate of Hindu violence that left at least ten people dead and many others injured. A general strike organized by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and other opposition parties effectively shut down New Delhi and about 25 other cities. In a written statement, the - B.J.P. denounced Gandhi's government for what it described as a hollow promise to control terrorism.

The charge has a particular sting for Gandhi, who took direct responsibility for Punjab on May 11, after dismissing the moderate Sikh government there because of its failure to maintain order. Despite last week's events, however, the Prime Minister says he is still reluctant to use military force to curb terrorism in Punjab.