On 29 April, a 35-year-old woman, wife of a marginal farmer, was traveling with her daughter and son in an AC bus operated by Orbit Bus Service – owned by the family of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal – when some youths started to harass the girl near a place called Moga in Punjab. When her mother complained about the lewd comments to the driver and conductor of the bus, they reportedly, joined the youth in the act. The duo was then allegedly pushed out of the speeding bus for protesting against molestation. Passersby took them to a nearby hospital. While the teenage girl was declared brought dead, her mother is still battling for her life. When the whole country is aghast at the cruelty of the incident which reminded one of the horrific ‘Nirbhaya’ rape and killing in December, 2012, Punjab’s Higher Education Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra belonging to the ruling Shiromni Akali Dal, a constituent of BJP-led NDA, triggered a wave of outrage by calling this culpable homicide as “God’s will”. “Nobody can stop accidents. Whatever happens is by God’s will. The incident was unfortunate but you cannot go against the nature’s will,” he said while talking to the reporters in Patiala.
It is obvious that he was trying to dilute the gravity of the incident and trying to shield the culprits who are employees of the State Deputy Chief Minister. If his interpretation is to be accepted, then all criminal acts, rapes, murders, genocides, and pogroms are to be branded as having been “divinely ordained”. What can be more ludicrous than this! But the motive of the minister becomes clear when the girl’s father alleged that he is being pressured by “some people” to reach a compromise on the issue. “I want the criminals to be punished. I don’t want money, I want justice”, he said. He also claimed threat to his life and that of his family and sought security cover. This is another instance of how crimes on women has grown and proliferated in the country and how those occupying seats of power are ridiculing the incidents and instead of punishing the culprits basking under the shelter of the ruling parties are seeking to protect them.
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AIMSS condemns Moga killing of 13 year old
Comrade H.G.. Jayalakshmi, General Secretary, AIMSS, issued the following statement on 01-05-2015:
The All India Committee of AIMSS expresses its shock and severely condemns the incident as reported in the media, of a 13 year old girl and her mother being molested and thrown off from a moving bus near Gill village on Moga-Kotkapura road, Punjab, on Wednesday. It is also reported that the teenage girl has died and her mother has suffered serious injuries.
The All India committee of AIMSS demands for a speedy and impartial enquiry into the whole incident and severely punish the guilty if found.
