The National Commission for Women’s chairperson, Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, called on Wednesday for the harshest possible punishment for the men accused of raping a minor on a moving bus, saying a swift verdict would act as a deterrent to future offenders.
Police said a 16‑year‑old girl was gang‑raped inside an empty sleeper bus in Greater Noida earlier this month. The driver and the conductor were arrested in connection with the crime, and investigators are continuing their inquiry.
Rahatkar told IANS that the punishment must be swift and severe to prevent others from considering similar crimes. She stressed that societal attitudes must also change, urging a coordinated effort between the community, law‑enforcement agencies and the legal system, and suggesting that perpetrators should face social exclusion in addition to legal penalties.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the case. It issued notices to the police commissioners of Delhi and Gautam Budh Nagar, as well as the Superintendent of Police in Mainpuri, requesting a detailed report on the investigation and any compensation to the victim within two weeks.
According to media reports, the girl, a resident of Mainpuri, left home to visit a cousin in Noida’s Sector 63. After missing her stop, she alighted at Pari Chowk in heavy rain and darkness, boarded a sleeper bus after the conductor assured her it was headed toward her destination, and the assault occurred thereafter.
