The family of a teenaged girl, who was molested and pushed to death from a moving bus, continued to stage a sit-in along with local politicians topress for filing of a case against Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who co-owns the Orbit bus service, leading to a deadlock that has delayed her cremation.
The family has refused to perform the girl’s final rites till the bus owners are booked in the four-day-old incident and licence of the bus service cancelled.
The family along with Sangharsh Committee, comprising local leaders of various political parties and social organisations, continued to sit outside the civil hospital while the body of girl was lying in mortuary at Singhawala village.
“The protest is going on in front of civil hospital,” Sangharsh Committee member Balwant Makhoo said.
A senior police official on Sunday said, “There is no development in this matter so far.”
The victim girl’s father has stuck to his demand for registration of a case against Sukhbir Badal and others, who own the bus service.
District administration has ruled out the possibility of registration of case against bus owners, saying it was not legally possible.
The victim’s father has also demanded cancellation of road permits of Orbit Aviation before the last rites can be performed.
Police has said this matter could not be compared with Uber case in Delhi in which a passenger was allegedly raped by a cab driver. “In the Uber case, a taxi was operating without route permit and without permission from any competent authority. In orbit case, there is no such complaint,” police said on Saturday.
District administration had on Saturday night tried to persuade the family members to allow the cremation of girl whose body has been lying in the mortuary, said Makhoo.
Facing widespread criticism over the shocking incident, Sukhbir Badal had ordered taking Orbit buses off the roads.
Opposition People’s Party of Punjab leader Manpreet Badal on Sunday said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has “moral responsibility” in the case from which he cannot shy away.
With regard to the CM saying he does not take interest in the Orbit, Manpreet Badal questioned how then did the bus service expand from four buses to 40 buses.
He also criticised the government for offering Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family, asking whether this was the “price” being fixed for her life.
The district authorities has said it was ready to pay compensation of Rs 20 lakh to girl's family and government job to her injured mother.
The victim’s family has also demanded security cover fearing threat. Police said it has already provided foolproof security to the family.
District administration has appealed to all political parties to call off their protest in order to maintain law and order.
Image: Congress workers protest against the molestation outside Union minister Harsimrat Kaur's residence. Photograph: PTI
