Headlines
Girl dies after being thrown from Badal family's bus
Moga/Chandigarh, April 30
The death of a
13-year-old Dalit girl after she and her mother were pushed out of a
speeding bus for protesting against their molestation on Thursday
sparked outrage in Punjab, with the opposition demanding action against
the ruling Badal family which owned the bus.
The incident took
place Wednesday evening near Moga town, 180 km from here. The bus
belongs to Orbit Aviation Company which is owned by Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister and Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife and union
minister Harsimrat Badal.
The victim, Arshdeep Kaur, was declared
brought dead at the Moga civil hospital while her mother, Shinder Kaur,
was admitted in a serious condition.
Shinder Kaur told the media
from her hospital bed that they complained about the molestation to the
bus driver but he mocked at them and started speeding the vehicle. She
alleged that they (daughter and mother) were pushed out of the moving
bus by the molesters.
Punjab Director General of Police Sumedh
Singh Saini said in Moga that three people, including the driver,
conductor and cleaner of the bus, were arrested.
They have been
booked for murder, attempt to murder, molestation and crime done with
common intention. The case was registered against the bus conductor
Sukhwinder Singh and helper Gurdeep Singh.
Saini said a probe into the incident will be conducted by Inspector General of Police Gurpreet Kaur Deo.
Passengers
on the bus indicated that the mother and daughter were subjected to
molestation and lewd remarks by some people and the bus staff after they
boarded it.
When both tried to get off the bus, the driver
increased the speed. Her minor son was allowed to alight from the bus
after a little distance.
"No one on the bus came to the rescue of
the victims. There were not many passengers in the bus when the
incident happened," an eyewitness told police.
Embarrassed by the
incident involving the staff of a bus owned by his son Sukhbir Badal,
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he was "deeply pained" by
the incident.
"I don't know anything about the bus company. I
have nothing to do with it. I have never been to its office," Badal told
the media in Chandigarh.
"Strict action will be taken under law
against the guilty. The incident is deeply shocking and I am deeply
pained by it," Badal said.
Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok
Sabha and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh 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.
Congress legislators demanded President's Rule in Punjab, citing deteriorating law and order situation.
"The
bus belongs to a company owned by the Badal family. The Dalit girl was
molested by the staff of the Orbit bus. She along with her mother were
thrown out of the fast moving bus by the molesters," they said in a
statement.
Punjab Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwa claimed
that Orbit transport buses had unleashed terror on Punjab's roads and
its staff was violating all laws.
"Sukhbir Badal is directly
responsible for this incident and a case under Section 304-A should be
registered against him as the bus is his liability," Bajwa said in Moga.