Moga bus victim's family rejects govt compensation, refuses to cremate her

Moga: The relatives of the girl, who got killed after being molested and shoved off a moving bus owned by Punjab's ruling Badal family, have refused to perform her last rites, two days after the incident, rejecting government compensation and demanding action against the owners of the vehicle.

The incident has provoked public outrage with opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, besides farmers and rights groups taking to streets in Punjab and Delhi.

All attempts by the state authorities to persuade the bereaved family to cremate her proved futile when it rejected a compensation of Rs 20 lakh, a government job for her mother, who too was molested and pushed out of the bus, her free treatment and holding trial of the case in a fast track court.

The family is insisting that the owners of the bus, Orbit Aviation, be booked in connection with the offence and its road permits be cancelled, a demand vociferously supported by AAP.

A team of civil and police officials including DIG A S Chahal, SSP JS Khehra and Deputy Commissioner Parminder Singh Gill tried to convince the family of the deceased but in vain. The teenager's father Sukhdev Singh, joined by some local residents, participated in the talks.

Earlier in the day, Congress and AAP joined the agitating family and activists staging a protest in front of the Moga civil hospital where the injured mother of the deceased is undergoing treatment. The body of the girl is also lying in the mortuary there.

Though TV channels showed a letter purported to be carrying the thumb impression of the deceased's father endorsing the action taken by the police so far, the family was not ready to perform the last rites till the time the owners of the bus were booked. Sukhdev Singh later told TV channels he had put the thumb impression without being explained the contents of the document.

AAP Lok Sabha member from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann, who led his party's protest dharna outside the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Baghapurana with around 500 others, demanded questioning of the owners of Orbit Aviation.

He said when officials of Uber taxi service could be questioned in connection with the alleged rape by a cab driver, why can't the owners of Orbit Aviation be interrogated.

Leading the protest at Baghapurana police station, Punjab Congress Chief Partap Singh Bajwa demanded the cancellation of bus permits given to Orbit Aviation throughout the state.

"This incident clearly shows that there is no law and order in the state. There is lawlessness and anarchy," Bajwa alleged while demanding cancellation of bus permit to Orbit Aviation.

A large number of Aam Aadmi Party activists led by Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann also held protest in front of the DSP office at Baghapurana.

Mann said, "This issue was also raised in Parliament yesterday. When law is equal in the country then why it is not being implemented with same spirit in Punjab.

When in Nirbhaya case the owners of bus were also booked in Delhi, then why not action should be taken against the Badal family who are the owners of Orbit Aviation."

Several women organisations also took out a march in the national capital to protest the molestation and death of the girl and demand resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is a Union Minister.

"They (Badal and Harsimrat) must be held accountable (for the incident). They must resign," one of the protesters said.

Amid continuing protest, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister and owner of Orbit Aviation, expressed "deepest sorrow and outrage" over the tragedy and promised action against the perpetrators.

Sukhbir, who also holds the Home portfolio, said, "I am personally and deeply anguished over the incident, the more so because of the bus in which it happened."

Referring to the accusations by the opposition that a fair probe into the incident was not possible as the Badals owned the company that ran the bus, he said "It is absurd even to think that the incident of the company's ownership will allow such brutality and brazenness to go unpunished."

The Punjab government has, meanwhile, set up a high level committee headed by Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal to suggest ways to ensure safety and security of commuters using public transport.