By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 20 Aug: It is only after some serious or heinous incident that the departments wake up and begin some knee jerk reaction following the incident. These knee jerk reactions too appear to be taken to calm down the public anguish. Hardly ever a proactive action is seen on part of the departments whether it is the Police or any other authority. Now, in the wake of the heinous crime of gang rape of a minor girl at ISBT on the night of 12 and 13 August by some bus drivers and conductors, the UTC has woken up to the need to verify the antecedents of the bus conductors and drivers.
The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation has now issued orders for verification of all drivers and conductors. Several days after the gang rape incident in the ISBT of the capital Dehradun, the UTC has finally realised the urgent need to get the verification done of all the bus conductors and drivers either employed permanently or through outsourcing. The UTC management has now made police verification of drivers and conductors working on all contracted buses mandatory. At the same time, instructions have been given to impose an immediate fine of Rs 25,000 on the owners of the contracted buses that were found to be involved in the rape incident. Also, a file for dismissal of the accused in the rape case has been moved.
As per the orders issued by UTC, there will be a regular inspection of Roadways buses every evening, along with this, a report will also have to be given to all the bus stations and the office attached to the headquarters about how many buses have working CCTV cameras and panic buttons installed in them. According to the orders issued, the CCTV cameras and panic buttons related to security will have to be kept switched on 24 hours a day. UTC has also decided to increase the deployment of security guards for day as well as for night duty at all the bus stations and at the ISBT.
MD, UTC, Dr Anand Srivastava has instructed the department to deploy additional security guards. Also, CCTV cameras have been made mandatory at many places. Dr Srivastava has described this incident as very unfortunate and said that no amount of condemnation would be enough.
Meanwhile, Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh has constituted an SIT for a detailed investigation into the gang rape incident and to “ensure harshest punishment to the culprits”. For this, the SIT is also being assisted by a forensic team along with Mobile Service Lance, CCTV Camera Experts. Various teams have been sent to various places including Delhi and other places in Uttarakhand for intensive investigation of the bus in which the rape was committed after it reached Dehradun from Delhi. The SIT is trying to determine how did the accused bus conductor and driver pick up the victim in Delhi and where all did the bus stop on its way to Dehradun. The victim is being produced before a magistrate to record her statement and the Police have also sought extension of the Police custody of the arrested accused.
It is also being claimed that the victim has refused to return home to UP with her father and, therefore, the Women Commission and other related agencies have decided to get her treated in Dehradun and to keep her for the time being at Naari Niketan.
