MOGA, (Pb), Apr 30: A teenage girl died while her mother sustained serious injuries after they were allegedly molested and thrown off a moving bus near here.
The conductor and cleaner of the bus, reportedly belonging to a company owned by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s family, were today arrested by the police in connection with the horrific incident which occurred last evening close to Gill village, ten km from here on Moga-Kotkapura road.
Moga’s SP (Detective) H S Pannu said that the injured woman in her statement said that she and her 16-year-old daughter were allegedly molested and harassed by the conductor, cleaner and one more unidentified person on the bus.
“Later on, they were pushed and thrown outside the moving bus by the accused,” he said. Police had earlier said that the two had allegedly jumped off the bus to escape the molesters.
Badals today under attack from opposition over the incident with Congress demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident claiming that local authorities will never be able to act fairly due to the political links of the firm.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said the incident was “very unfortunate” and promised swift action against the guilty even as he insisted he “never took interest” in the company’s affairs and had “never visited its office”.
Raising the issue in Lok Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress members stormed the Well, leading to brief adjournment.
Pannu said the bus has been impounded and a case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
“The bus conductor Sukhwinder and cleaner Gurdeep have been arrested. We are trying to nab the third accused in the case,” Moga SSP Jatinder Singh Khaira said. (PTI)