Minor Girl Sexually Assaulted In Sleeper Bus: Rahul Gandhi Questions Delhi Bus-Checking Rules Years After Nirbhaya

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the enforcement of sleeper-bus checking and monitoring rules after a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi. Gandhi said the incident showed serious gaps in women’s safety and asked whether anyone would be held accountable.

Rahul Gandhi Questions Police Checks

Taking to X, Gandhi said Delhi-NCR had become unsafe for women and questioned how the alleged gang rape could take place inside a sleeper bus for around 47 kilometres without attracting the attention of the police.

He said the bus travelled through the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, Delhi’s Ring Road and a border without being stopped at any checkpoint.

“It’s astonishing that neither the entire Delhi police nor the Noida police had the slightest inkling of it,” Gandhi said.

He alleged that curtains had been drawn around the bus seats, preventing people outside from seeing what was happening inside. He also questioned why the alleged perpetrators appeared to have no fear of the administration.

‘Why Are Rules Still Not Being Followed?’

Gandhi referred to the 2012 Nirbhaya case and questioned why rules for checking and monitoring sleeper buses were still not being properly followed despite years of similar incidents.

“Even after so many years since Nirbhaya, after so many such incidents, why are the rules for checking and monitoring such buses still not being followed?” he asked.

Gandhi alleged that repeated administrative failures were being concealed by the government and questioned how many more women and girls would have to suffer before corrective measures were taken.

He also questioned whether there would be accountability from the Delhi Police under Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Uttar Pradesh Police under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

What Happened Inside The Bus?

According to police, the incident took place near Pari Chowk in Greater Noida on August 4.

The 16-year-old survivor alleged in her complaint that the driver and conductor of an empty sleeper bus gang-raped her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. The two accused later abandoned her near Kashmere Gate in Delhi.

The accused, identified by police as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day.

Police seized the bus and sent it for forensic examination. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from the route taken by the bus to establish the sequence of events.

How The Teenager Ended Up On The Bus

The teenager is a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. Police said she had left home without informing her family after her mother reprimanded her over her studies.

She was travelling to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives.

According to her statement to police, she mistakenly got down at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness. After realising that she was at the wrong location, she tried to find another vehicle and eventually stopped the sleeper bus.

Police said there were no passengers inside the bus at the time.

The investigation into the case is underway, with police examining CCTV footage and forensic evidence from the bus.