A Punjab court has acquitted a bus driver and his three accomplices of charges of molesting a 13 -year-old Dalit girl and pushing her off a moving bus leading to her death in Moga in 2015, citing "lack of evidence" after the victim's mother turned hostile.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Lakhwinder Kaur Duggal yesterday set free the bus driver, Ranjeet Singh, conductor Sukhwinder Singh alias Pamma and two helpers - Amar Ram and Gurdeep Singh.
They had been booked for murder under IPC and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the statement of the girl's mother.
On April 29, 2015, the Dalit girl had died after she was allegedly molested and later pushed out of a moving bus along with her mother. The shocking case had triggered nationwide outrage.
The prime witnesses in the case, the girl's mother had turned hostile while her brother had told the court that he remembers his mother and sister being pushed out of the bus, but could not identify the accused.
Meanwhile, the father of the girl, who is a daily wager, termed it as "God's will".
He, however, said that the previous SAD-BJP government had promised a job to him, which has not been given so far.
"I have been running from pillar to post to get that job. I have lost count of how many times I visited the office of the Deputy Commissioner here and even went to Lambi to meet the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
"The promise of giving job to the poor family should be fulfilled by the Capt Amarinder Singh government," he said.
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