Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today met the father and other family members of the teenage girl, whose death after being thrown out of a bus has sparked a major political row, and assured of "exemplary" punishment to the people responsible for her death.
The girl was cremated today at Lande Ke village and before that her family members met the chief minister here.
Badal condoled the tragic demise of the girl and said,"I came here as the father of girl (victim). As the Chief Minister of the state and a father figure. I being personally responsible for safeguarding the honour of every daughter of Punjab.
"Wherever someone tries to outrage the honour of Punjab's daughter he will be given exemplary punishment under the strictest provisions of the law."
To a query about the culpability of the concerned bus company owned by his family, Badal said that no one was beyond the reach of law.
Badal said,"Whatever the provisions of law extend to the culprit or to the bus company, these will be fully complied with. Only the rule of law will prevail, that is my personal guarantee and assurance to the people of Punjab especially the daughters of the state."
The Chief Minister was with the family for about half-an-hour.
According to a release, Badal wanted to go to the village of the aggrieved family but they told him that they did not want the opposition parties to politicise the matter of his visit.
Badal said that he would soon visit the family house in their village personally.
