A shocking case of sexual assault, resonating with the horrendous 2012 Delhi gang-rape incident was reported from the national capital on Wednesday late night, the police reported on Thursday. As per police, a woman was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving bus in the Rani Bagh area, in the aftermath of which, the police have caught the driver and the conductor of the vehicle. 

Woman a slum-dweller, mother to three children

As stated in the police complaint by the survivor, she resides at a slum cluster in Pitampura and works at a factory in Mangolpuri. She was returning home late Monday night on foot, as per her daily routine. A sleeper bus halted near a bus stop in Saraswati Vihar. The woman approached the vehicle to enquire about the time from a man standing at its entrance, who allegedly pulled her inside forcibly. 

She went on to say that the accused drove the bus towards Nangloi, during which the conductor of the vehicle, as well as its driver, took turns to rape her. After approaching the police and lodging a complaint, the cops have seized the vehicle. According to police, the woman is married and has three children. She, as per police, is being extended all necessary support.  

FIR registered after survivor undergoes medical examination

Following the incident, the survivor woman underwent a medical examination, and the cops registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused duo. Subsequently, the police swooped down on them, and legal proceedings against them are underway. 

The Delhi Police said that the case is being treated with utmost seriousness, and all possible angles are being explored. They added that forensic evidence is also being gathered to strengthen the case. 

AAP slams BJP over incident

The incident has also resulted in political upheaval in the city, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticised the ruling BJP government over what it described as a breakdown in women’s safety in Delhi. Senior AAP leader and former Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, likened the case to the infamous Nirbhaya case, which dates back to 2012.

He said that females continue to feel unsafe in public spaces, including schools and buses. Delhi AAP Chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also condemned the incident, terming it a ‘shameful repetition’ of past horrors. 

Notably, the case draws parallels with the horrific 2012 Delhi gang rape case, which sent shockwaves across the nation and prompted widespread protests in different parts of India over women’s safety.

In the incident, a young paramedic student, travelling on a bus with one of her male friends, was brutally violated by six men inside the moving vehicle. She later succumbed to her injuries, and her family had to wait seven years for the accused to be brought to justice.