Chandigarh: A woman and her teenaged daughter were allegedly molested and thrown off a running bus belonging to the ruling Badal family in Punjab, leaving the girl dead and mother seriously wounded, and kicking up a political storm.
The incident took place on Wednesday night on the Moga-Bhatinda highway, near Moga city. The 35-year-old woman, wife of a marginal farmer, was traveling with her daughter and son in an AC bus operated by Orbit Bus Service – owned by the family of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal – when some youths started to harass the girl.
When her mother complained about the lewd comments to the driver and conductor of the bus, they laughed it off. The conductor, reportedly, joined the youth in the act.
The woman then asked the driver to stop the bus but the driver responded by further increasing the speed of the vehicle.
The duo were then allegedly pushed out of the speeding bus for protesting against molestation. Passersby took them to a nearby hospital. While the teenage girl was declared brought dead, her mother is battling for her life.
Shinder Kaur, 36, told the media from her hospital bed that they complained about the molestation to the bus driver but he mocked at them and added that no one helped them inside the bus and alleged that she and her daughter were pushed out of the moving bus by the molesters, as per IANS.
Her 10-year-old son watched the whole drama unfold before him in horror and the stunned youngster was later handed over to the family by police.
Earlier reports attributed to the police had said that the duo had jumped off the vehicle to escape the molesters.
The driver later abandoned the bus and fled with his accomplices. However, police managed to arrest the driver and the conductor this morning.
Talking to reporters, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal admitted that the bus in which the incident took place belonged to his company.
Describing the incident as unfortunate and saddening, Badal said the probe is on and assured that all the accused will be arrested soon.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sunil Kumar Jakhar and Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, meanwhile, led a party protest in front of Badal's residence.
Bajwa has demanded that a murder case be registered against Badal.
In New Delhi, the Lok Sabha was disrupted when the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members sought a discussion on the death of the teenaged girl.
Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and AAP's Bhagwant Mann and Dharamvir Gandhi raised the issue but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed a discussion saying they can raise it only during zero hour.
Furious, the rebuffed MPs trooped near the speaker's podium and started shouting slogans demanding an immediate discussion.
The Speaker, however, asked them to return to their seats and adjourned the house briefly.
Condemning the incident, Harsimrat Badal said in New Delhi that she would get it enquired if the bus belonged to the Badal family.
Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh, a former Punjab chief minister, said the incident was a reflection of the lawlessness under the Badal regime.
"I am shocked and ashamed such an incident has happened in Punjab and nobody came to the rescue of the helpless mother and the daughter leading to the death of the girl," Amarinder said in a statement, as per IANS.
Congress legislators demanded President's Rule in Punjab, citing the deteriorating law and order situation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been running an alliance government with the Akali Dal since 2007, was guarded in its comments on the incident.
Condemning the incident, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma, in a statement, said that the incident was "shameful and very sad" and had brought disrepute to the Punjabi community worldwide.
Sharma steered clear of making any reference to the bus being owned by the Badal family.
Meanwhile, police said that four people, including the bus driver, conductor and helper, had been arrested, and a case of murder, attempt to murder and molestation had been slapped on them.
Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini said conductor Sukhminder Singh, cleaner Gurdip Singh and another accused known to them Amarjit Singh were the actual perpetrators, while driver Ranjit Singh has been arrested for his "culpability" of being at the wheel when the alleged incident took place, as per PTI.
Saini said a case of murder under section 302 and other relevant sections including 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 34 (common intention) of IPC has been registered in connection with the incident. The bus has been impounded.
Giving details of the incident, Saini said, that the woman boarded the bus along with her two children.
"She gave Rs 100 to the conductor and requested him to give three tickets. The conductor gave her two tickets and asked for Rs 10 more. At this, the woman objected and there was an altercation between her and the conductor and also a helper of the conductor," he said, as per PTI.
"All three of them started making indecent gestures towards her daughter and upon objections by the woman, all three also made indecent gestures towards her as well.
"When the bus was crossing village Gill, the three persons pushed the woman and her daughter out of the bus. While the daughter succumbed to her injuries, the woman sustained injuries on her forehead, chin, and body and became unconscious," he said.
Saini said that yesterday when the incident came to their notice, the ADGP (Law & Order) Dinkar Gupta immediately took stock of the situation.
(With Agency inputs)
