 "Punjab molestation case stirs national outrage")
The death of a 13-year-old girl in Punjab’s Moga district on Thursday, after jumping out of a bus to prevent being sexually assaulted by a group of co-passengers, drew strong reactions from politicians across party lines. The girl’s mother had also sustained injuries in the incident.
Though police said the girl and her mother jumped off the bus as the driver refused to stop the vehicle, there were reports claiming the two were pushed out of the vehicle by the accused.
The bus belonged to a company called Orbit, reportedly owned by the ruling Badal family, which came under attack from the Aam Aadmi Party’s member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann, who demanded they come clean on the issue. Congress demanded a judicial inquiry, saying local authorities might not act against the accused because of the company’s political links.
While condemning the incident, Punjab Chief Minister admitted the bus in which the victim was travelling belonged to a company owned by his family.
Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati asked the relevant higher authorities to probe the molestation case, saying the Punjab government would not be able to investigate the case properly. “This is a very painful incident. According to the information received, the bus (involved in the incident) belonged to some company owned by a family member the Punjab chief minister. In such a situation, I don’t think the state government will be able to provide any help to the sufferers,” Mayawati said.
All India Democratic Women’s Association General-Secretary Jagmati Sangwan dubbed the Moga molestation case as ‘painful’ and said action should not only be taken against the accused but the passengers who sat as mute spectators while the incident took place. The incident has triggered national outrage.
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal condemned the incident and said police were taking swift action against the accused. She said the state would ensure the guilty get stringent punishment.