New Delhi, Sep 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports that a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by the driver and conductor of a sleeper bus in Greater Noida on August 4.
Observing that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issues of human rights violations, the apex human rights body has issued notices to the Police Commissioners of Delhi and Gautam Budh Nagar and the Superintendent of Police, Mainpuri, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
The NHRC said the report should include the status of the investigation and details of compensation, if any, paid to the victim.
According to the media report carried on August 31, the girl, a resident of Mainpuri, had left home to visit her cousin in Noida's Sector 63. She reportedly missed her stop and got down at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness. She subsequently boarded a sleeper bus after the conductor allegedly told her that it was headed towards Sector 63.
Police said the bus was empty and was returning after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Surajpur. The survivor alleged that soon after the bus started moving, the conductor behaved inappropriately towards her, following which he and the driver allegedly sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. The two men later allegedly abandoned her near Kashmere Gate in Delhi and fled.
Police have arrested the two accused, identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day. The accused have been booked under charges relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault.
Police have seized the sleeper bus and sent it for forensic examination.
Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from the route taken by the vehicle to establish the sequence of events and trace its movements.
Forensic teams have reportedly recovered strands of the girl's hair from inside the bus as part of the investigation.
Police have also said that curtains covering the individual berths in the sleeper bus may have provided privacy inside the vehicle during the alleged crime.
Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Lata Gupta on Monday strongly condemned the alleged gang rape and demanded a speedy trial and swift punishment for the accused.
Speaking to IANS, Gupta said, "The gang rape of a girl on a bus is a heinous crime. The police have arrested the bus driver and conductor. The Commission has sought an action-taken report from the police. The Commission will advocate for a fast-track trial to ensure the harshest punishment for the accused."
"I feel that moral values are eroding. While everyone talks about rights, we seem to be forgetting our fundamental duties. Such incidents in society are deeply condemnable and unacceptable. The government has streamlined legal procedures and implemented provisions under laws like POCSO to ensure fast-track trials, strict punishment, and timely justice for offenders," she added.
Source: IANS
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