The alleged molestation of a teenage Dalit girl and her mother in a moving private bus on Wednesday evening and the subsequent death of the girl has jolted the conscious of people of Punjab.
Where public have termed the act as criminal and heinous, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal who is said to be one of the owners of the Orbit Bus Service in which four men committed the crime.
The girl and her mother were allegedly molested and pushed out of the moving bus in the presence of her brother and co passengers. All the four bus employees involved in the crime had been arrested.
Various farmers’ and farm labourers’ organisations along with Congress and AAP leaders and workers are protesting at Bagha-Purana in Moga district where the crime occurred.
Meanwhile, postmortem of the victim has not yet been done. Condition of her mother is stated to be stable.
The girl and her mother raised the alarm and complained to the bus conductor. The conductor didn’t act and reportedly joined the youths who were passing lewd comments at girl.
When the mother of the girl asked the driver to stop the bus, he — instead of stopping it — increased its speed. The woman and her daughter shouted for help when the bus crossed the toll barrier near Gill village. However, none came to their help.
Left with no choice, the mother-daughter duo jumped off the moving bus.
Arshdeep died on the spot while her mother was seriously injured. The injured woman was rushed to the district hospital where she is undergoing treatment.
Leaving the bus on the roadside, the bus driver, conductor and helper fled from the spot. Later, the bus was taken to the Baghapurana police station.
SHO Avtar Singh said that the investigation was in progress and legal action would be taken against the accused as per law.
SSP Jatinder Singh Khaira confirmed that the bus belonged to the Orbit bus service. He said that the injured woman was conscious. “I have talked to her. She will record her statement. We will take legal action accordingly,” he said.
Time line
Outside Moga bus stand, Wednesday, 3.30pm
Shinder Kaur boards Orbit bus (PB-10-CP-1813) along with her teenage daughter and son. Their destination: Baghapurana, about 20km from Moga. There were about 15 passengers on board
As perShinderKaur’s statement
She objects to the demand of Rs 10 more than the fare of Rs 100. The argument turns into an altercation involving the three passengers, conductor and the helper
3.40 pm: The bus stops near a toll barrier. Someone known to the bus staff boards the bus. The bus staff pass lewd remarks on the teenaged girl. The woman and her son object
3.50 pm: The woman and her daughter are pushed towards the door by the staff and the “unknown” passenger amid a barrage of abuses and indecent gestures
4.00 pm: As the bus passes Gill village, the girl is pushed out of the moving bus by at least three men, said to be among the bus staff
4.05 pm: Shinder Kaur too thrown out, followed by her son a few minutes later. The boy, Akashdeep, screams for help. Passersby notice the incident as the Orbit bus driver, conductor, helper flee
4.20 pm: Akashdeep manages to reach his mother and sister. Calls up his aunt
4.40 pm: An ambulance parked at the toll barrier reaches the victims
4.50 pm: The victims taken to Government Hospital Baghapurana, where the girl is declared dead and her mother given treatment for trauma and bruises
SC panel orders Rs 5 lakh for kin
Dr Raj Kumar Verka, vice-chairman of the National SC/ST Commission, on Thursday directed Moga District Magistrate Parminder Singh Gill to give Rs 3.75 lakh and Rs 50,000 as immediate relief against the death of the girl and treatment of her mother, respectively. A total compensation of Rs 5 lakh would be given to the family, he said.