New Delhi: Once again, a case raising serious questions regarding women’s safety in a moving bus has come to light in Delhi. There is an allegation of gang rape of a 16-year-old girl student by the driver and conductor in a sleeper bus between Pari Chowk and Kashmiri Gate in Greater Noida. The incident is said to have taken place on August 4. After receiving the complaint, Kashmiri Gate police station arrested both the accused and also seized the bus used in the crime.
How was the student left alone at Pari Chowk?
According to the police, the student studying in class 11 is a resident of Mainpuri district. On August 3, after being scolded by her mother regarding her studies, she left home the next day. His intention was to go to his cousin living in Noida Sector-63. After reaching Noida, she got down at Pari Chowk due to heavy rain and darkness. During this time she saw another bus. The student stopped the bus and asked about going to Sector-63. According to the police, the driver and conductor asked her to drop there and made her sit on the bus.
Was there no other passenger on the bus at that time?
In her statement to the police, the student said that when she boarded the bus, there were no other passengers present inside. It is alleged that after the bus moved some distance, the conductor did obscene acts with her. Later, the driver and conductor were accused of gang-raping her.
When the student protested, she was threatened. After this the bus continued towards Delhi. After reaching Kashmiri Gate area late at night, both the accused dropped the student near Ring Road.
How is the police investigating the case?
After being deboarded from the bus, the student reached Kashmiri Gate police and informed about the incident. The police got him medically examined and after recording his statement, registered the case. After this the investigation team started scanning the footage of nearby CCTV cameras.
Based on the footage and other clues, the police identified driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep. Both were arrested from the parking lot in Timarpur. The police also took into custody the sleeper bus in which the incident is alleged to have taken place.
Why did no one notice the bus for 47 kilometers?
This incident has raised questions regarding the security arrangements of passenger buses. According to the police, the bus covered a distance of about 47 kilometers from Pari Chowk to Kashmiri Gate. According to the report, there were curtains on the windows of the bus, due to which the activities inside were not visible from outside.
This aspect is also being looked into in the police investigation as to why the bus did not come under the purview of any investigation on such a long route. Questions are being raised especially regarding the monitoring and security arrangements of sleeper buses running at night.
What are the rules on curtains and safety devices on the bus?
According to the report, security arrangements like verification of driver and operator, name plates on uniform, GPS based system for vehicle monitoring and panic button are prescribed in commercial passenger vehicles. The provision of CCTV in passenger buses is also important from security point of view.
Police are now also investigating whether the bus in which the incident took place had mandatory safety precautions in place and whether they were working or not.
What did the forensic team collect from the bus?
During the investigation, the police have sent the bus for forensic examination. The team has collected hair and other biological evidence from inside the bus. DNA matching of these samples will be done. The police have also conducted potency test of both the arrested accused.
At present the police is busy collecting all the evidence related to the case. The picture of all the facts related to the incident will be clear only after the investigation is completed. The identity of the victim has been kept confidential under law.
