Rahul Gandhi questions Shah-Yogi model on women's safety
He expressed surprise over how a journey of nearly 47 kilometers from Greater Noida to Delhi went unchallenged by police.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has directly targeted the BJP-led central government and the Uttar Pradesh government over the incident of gang rape of a minor girl inside a moving bus from Noida to Delhi. This incident has revived horrifying memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, which shook the entire country.
Rahul Gandhi expressed surprise at how the bus could travel approximately 47 kilometers from Greater Noida to Delhi without stopping at any police checkpoint. He also questioned why the regulations established for passenger safety after the 2012 Nirbhaya case were not enforced.
Demanding answers from the Delhi Police, which comes under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Uttar Pradesh Police under Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi wrote on ‘X’,
“Delhi-NCR has become so unsafe for women that a minor girl was gang-raped in a moving sleeper bus from Greater Noida to Delhi over a distance of 47 kilometers. It is shocking that neither the Delhi Police nor the Noida Police had any inkling of this. The bus passed through the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, Delhi's Ring Road, and the border, yet it was not stopped even once at any checkpoint.”
He noted that the bus had curtains on its windows, preventing anyone outside from seeing what was happening inside.
The Congress leader asked,
“Why are the rules for checking and monitoring such buses not being followed even after so many years since the Nirbhaya incident and numerous similar cases? The curtains were not just on that one bus—they are a result of the layers of concealment placed by the government over the administration's failures, which have led to women not being able to travel safely in the capital. How many more women and girls will have to endure this before the central and state governments fix this system?”
Rahul Gandhi wrote,
“Will there be any accountability for the Delhi Police under Amit Shah or the Uttar Pradesh Police under Adityanath? There is no possibility of that—this crime will also be covered up,”
The rape of the girl occurred on August 4, but the news broke in the media on August 31. Following this, questions began to arise on social media about how this incident, which took place just before Independence Day when security arrangements are tight in the capital, remained out of public knowledge for nearly four weeks. The Delhi Police stated that a case was registered and both accused were arrested within hours of receiving the complaint.
“It should be noted that strict laws were enacted in the country after the Nirbhaya incident. Laws changed, the system changed, and the culprits were even hanged. But 14 years later, the same questions arise. ‘Nirbhaya’ is still not safe in Delhi. On the night of August 4, a 16-year-old Class 11 student was gang-raped in a moving sleeper bus. According to the police, the student boarded the bus to seek help after being stranded in heavy rain. The incident took place on the night of August 4. The minor from Mainpuri was on her way to meet a relative in Noida after leaving home due to a family dispute.
According to the police, due to heavy rain and darkness, the student mistakenly got off at Pari Chowk. At that time, she signaled a passing empty sleeper bus for help. The bus driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep informed her that the bus was going to Noida Sector-63 and allowed her to board.
The police reported that.
The conductor began to make obscene gestures towards the minor while the bus was moving. The student alleges that thereafter, both the driver and conductor raped her. When she resisted, they also threatened to kill her. The bus traveled approximately 47 kilometers towards Kashmiri Gate. The accused abandoned the student on the Ring Road near the Kashmiri Gate bus terminal late at night and fled. The frightened student contacted the Kashmiri Gate police to report the incident.
The police later arrested Kuldeep and Sandeep from the bus parking in Timarpur. The sleeper bus has also been seized and sent for forensic examination.
The investigation revealed that,
the bus had broken down earlier and was taken to a workshop in Surajpur for repairs. After the repairs, the driver and conductor were taking the empty bus to Timarpur when they encountered the minor at Pari Chowk. According to the police, curtains were installed around the bus's berths, which allowed the accused to successfully conceal their crime. The bus covered a distance of approximately 47 kilometers from Pari Chowk to Kashmiri Gate, after which the minor was abandoned on the roadside.
But the big question is how a 16-year-old minor was raped in the bus for 47 kilometers while the police from UP to Delhi remained oblivious.
There are barricades set up by the UP and Delhi police at various places, yet the police did not find it necessary to stop and check the bus. The bus had tinted glass and curtains. The Nirbhaya Act, which was enacted in 2012 after the Nirbhaya incident, specifically states that it is illegal to have black film, tinted glass, and curtains on the windows of any four-wheeled or large vehicles.
The minor roamed the streets from Greater Noida to Delhi's ISBT and then to Timarpur, while the girl was being raped in the moving bus. The girl kept screaming, but there was no police presence at the checkpoint or barricades. It is shocking that there was no inspection of the bus at the Delhi border, nor did the police notice the tinted glass and curtains in the bus. For one hour and 20 minutes, the rape continued on the road, and the police were unaware. This exposes the hollowness of the police, traffic, and the entire system. However, after the incident, the police have arrested the accused. But will there be any action against this negligence of the police?