When Uber owner booked, why spare Sukhbir: Oppn

Saturday, 02/05/2015

http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/

Moga : The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today held separate protests in Moga demanding registration of a criminal case against Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and his family members who were either directors of Orbit Aviation Private Limited or major stake-holders in the company.

A bus belonging to the company was allegedly involved in the molestation and death of a teenaged girl, pushed off the speeding bus, near Moga two days ago.

Referring to the Badal family as “tyrants”, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa appealed to the people to launch a movement for the removal of the SAD-BJP government in the state.

Addressing a dharna outside the police station at Baghapurana against the Moga bus molestation incident, Bajwa appealed to all the opposition parties and NGOs to come on a common platform on the issue. The Congress leader demanded that a case should be registered against Sukhbir under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC, the way it was done in the Nirbhaya rape case in Delhi. He also cited the case of Uber taxi service that was banned after the alleged rape incident involving its driver in Delhi.

He said it was the responsibility of the employer to check the antecedents of an employee and as such, “it were Majithia and Badal family members who should also be booked for their negligence”.

The party demanded that permits of all Orbit and other transport companies owned by the Badal family be cancelled with immediate effect. “The employees of these buses are regular offenders. Even the bus that was involved in this incident had tinted glasses and curtains, which is illegal. Moreover, this bus was not plying on a fixed route allotted to it,” he alleged.

The PPCC chief said that during the “Rail Roko” agitation on May 2, the focus would be on the deteriorating law and order situation.

Bajwa also gave a call to gherao the Orbit buses in Mohali on May 4. The gherao would be led by Bajwa himself and Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar from 11 am onwards. He said that this would be the first phase of the agitation, which would be taken to other district headquarters subsequently. The PPCCchief was accompanied by Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, MLAs Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Joginder Singh Panjgrain, spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira, former ministers Darshan Singh Brar and Inderjit Singh Zira.

AAP leaders, including Bhagwant Mann, Sadhu Singh, Sucha Singh Chhotepur and Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, led a dharna outside the DSP office, adjacent to the police station, at Baghapurana.

Advocating a joint front for the agitation, Mann said it was high time for all the political parties to rise above party lines to push the Badal family out of power. “After this incident, the Badal and Majithia families have no moral right to hold constitutional and administrative posts,” he said. Mann and Gandhi also met the victim’s mother who was undergoing treatment at the district hospital here. They also met the aggrieved family members and assured that justice would be done to them.

Horror on wheels After today’s ‘Rail Roko’ against the Moga incident, Congress to gherao Orbit buses in Mohali on May 4

Cong to meet Guv to seek govt’s dismissal

Abohar: Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar will meet the Punjab Governor next week to submit a memorandum demanding dismissal of the SAD-BJP alliance government. Referring to the Moga incident which triggered anguish across the state, besides Parliament and other forums, he alleged the law and order situation had collapsed in Punjab. Questioning why different yardsticks were being adopted in this case, he said, “When officials of Uber taxi service could be questioned in connection with the alleged rape in their cab by a driver, why can’t the owners of Orbit Aviation be interrogated.” The plying of Orbit buses should be banned, he demanded.

BJP state chief defends Orbit
Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma has said the Uber case in Delhi was "different" from Moga, and any facility could not be stopped after such an incident. But he said bus owners should follow all norms and the same rule should apply to their staff. He advocated the need for fast-track courts and exemplary punishment to the accused in cases like the molestation on a moving bus in Moga.

Eyewitnesses narrate tragic scene
Gill (Baghapurana): The residents of the village where the teenaged girl was allegedly pushed off a bus after being molested on Wednesday are outraged over the "unfortunate" incident occurring on their land. Showing the deceased's blood on the road opposite the office of Punjab Dairy Vikas Board, Ram Pal, a resident, said, "Everything happened very fast. We didn't get time to react. Otherwise we wouldn't have allowed the killers of our daughter to get away." Beant Singh, another resident, said, "The bus frighteningly swayed near the crime spot before the girl was thrown out, indicating there was something disturbing going on inside."

Orbit bus stopped in Pathankot
Pathankot: Nearly 50 Congress workers blocked the path of an Orbit bus in the local bus stand on Friday sending the police in a tizzy. Led by youth leader Kartik Wadhera, the workers were initially stopped by the heavy police posse, posted near the main gate of the bus stand, from entering the premises. A senior officer said the police had prior information that the Congress workers would try to block an Orbit bus from moving out of the bus stand, hence they had deputed heavy police force there. The bus was on its way to Chandigarh.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal must explain as to why most of the crimes committed against women in Punjab in recent past had an Akali or Badal connection in one way or the other. This is bound to happen when the rulers are driven more by vested interests than public good. Before the Moga incident, abduction of a girl from Faridkot and killing of an ASI in Amritsar are some examples.
—Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress DY Leader

Whosoever owns the company, the law is equal to all. The Delhi government had stalled a cab service after its driver molested a woman. The same rule holds for every state. It is the responsibility of the company to check whether their staff has got proper licence, experience and skills, besides checking their behaviour. The company should also have proper permit for plying its buses. The bus owner should not go scot-free.
—Navjot Kaur Sidhu, BJP MLA

The Orbit buses have been under fire for creating terror in the transport sector. They flout the court directions over use of pressure horns, decks and videos, besides charging arbitrarily from passengers. It has now been established that their staff were involved in molesting female passengers on board, which resulted in the death of a minor girl. The plying of Orbit buses should also be banned.
—Sunil Jakhar, CLP Leader

The Centre should take note of the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab. Over the past few years, various syndicates, including in spheres of drugs and liquor, sand, cable and transport, have spread their wings and are looting the state recklessly. As the BJP is a partner in the state government, it is equally responsible for prevailing lawlessness here. While women are not safe, the properties of NRIs are being forcibly occupied.
—Joginder Dayal, CPI Leader

The law of the jungle prevails in Punjab. Akali Dal leaders have been patronising anti-social elements, proved once again by the molestation and death of a young girl in Moga. The accused are the staff of a transport company owned by the Badals. What’s more shocking is that Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur feigned ignorance about who owns Orbit transport—her family business.
—Manpreet Badal, PPP Chief

How safe do women feel in buses?  reality check in Patiala
The Moga incident has further dampened the spirit of women travelling alone in buses. Gagan K Teja of The Tribune travelled in a few buses to get a first-hand account, and found the results were shocking. Many girls narrated tales of eve-teasing and harassment by fellow passengers and bus staffers.

“We always travel in a group as male passengers look at girls from head to toe or pass lewd remarks. The bus staff and fellow commuters don’t cooperate most of the times. Vulgar songs are played, but no one cares.” —Manisha, student, government mohindra college, patiala

“All seats reserved for women passengers are usually occupied by men. If the authorities cannot ensure seats for women, they should start special buses for us.” —Sharandeep, student of a private college in patiala

“Being safe does not only mean not being raped. It is about how secure a woman is from uncomfortable stares and lewd remarks, a tug at the dupatta or inappropriate touching. Every woman, at one point or the other, must have had a bad experience and will never travel by a bus if given an alternative.” —Lab technician (requesting anonymity), govt rajindra hospital

“Transport corporations should establish women complaint centres at all bus stands. Alcohol and dope tests should be frequently conducted on bus drivers and conductors on roads as many times, we find that they are drunk.” —Gurwinder Kaur, student of a private college in patiala

“A few days ago, I was travelling in a bus and suddenly three drunken men boarded the bus. They were using foul language and hurling abuses while talking to each other but no one dared to stop them. They did it deliberately to seek attention. No one, including the bus staff, intervened.”
—Dr Komal Kaur Dhaliwal, patiala resident