IANS/Moga, Punjab
A 14-year-old girl who died after she was molested and pushed out of a bus was cremated yesterday evening at her native village in Punjab. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who met the girl’s family in the evening, said the incident was “very unfortunate.”
The cremation took place amid tight security. The body was brought by her family from the Faridkot Medical College and Hospital where her postmortem was conducted earlier.
Badal met the victim’s family in Moga town four days after the girl died. The chief minister said the incident was “very unfortunate” and asked police to ensure proper security for women in public transport.
Arshdeep Kaur died on Wednesday evening, but the family had refused to allow her autopsy and cremation till the owners of the Orbit Aviation transport company, which owned the bus, were arrested.
The company belongs to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“I came here as the father of Arshdeep Kaur. As the chief minister of the state and a father figure, I am personally responsible for safeguarding the honour of every daughter of Punjab. Wherever someone tries to outrage the honour of Punjab’s daughter, he will be given exemplary punishment under the strictest provisions of the law,” Badal told reporters after spending about 30 minutes with the victim’s family.
The father of the girl and some members of her family had earlier said they agreed to the postmortem examination.
“I want to take my daughter back home and cremate her. Please let me go now,” the victim’s father told reporters.
Moga Deputy Commissioner Parminder Singh Gill also said the family had agreed to the postmortem and cremation.
“The post mortem is important as it is a crucial piece of evidence related to the death of the victim,” he said.
Official sources said the government paid a compensation of Rs2.4mn to the victim’s family and promised to provide a government job to her mother who was also pushed out of
the bus and seriously injured.
Chaos prevailed at the Civil Hospital complex in Moga town yesterday afternoon as the local authorities and police tried to get the consent of the family.
Heavy police deployment was made outside and inside the hospital complex as scores of people protested the authorities’ bid to pressure the family to give its consent.
Protesters, including Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists, alleged that the authorities and police under pressure from the Badal family had coerced the victim’s father to give consent for the autopsy and cremation.
The girl, her mother and brother boarded the bus at Moga town to travel to Baghapurana, which is 20km away, on Wednesday evening. The mother and daughter were soon targeted with indecent gestures and molestation by some goons on the bus. When the mother and daughter resisted, the molesters, including three bus staff, pushed them out of the speeding vehicle.
The girl died immediately while the mother was admitted to the hospital in a serious condition.
