Molestation fallout: Orbit buses pulled from streets of Punjab

The ruling Badal family in Punjab succumbed to mounting pressure late on Saturday when Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal ordered suspension of operations of all buses run by the management of Orbit Transport in the state.

The buses will cease to ply with immediate effect. Sukhbir also directed that all staff of the transport company undergo a mandatory orientation programme.  

Since the incident, the buses have been seen plying with police cover. Political activists stopped some of them at a few places on Saturday.

The Badal family is a major stakeholder in the company, which runs a massive fleet of buses. The decision to suspend services, albeit delayed, comes in wake of the death of 13-year-old Arshdeep Kaur, who was reportedly molested and thrown off a moving bus belonging to the company.

Meanwhile, the stalemate over the cremation of the girl’s body, which has been lying in a mortuary for three days, showed little signs of easing throughout the day.

Her family resisted all cremation attempts. The protest spilled onto the streets of Punjab as the family insisted they would relent only after a case was registered against the owners of the bus.

The Akali Dal has ridiculed any such possibility. Sources subtly indicated the possibility of a likely truce, given that the buses have now been taken off the roads. Matters were worsened by the statement of state Education Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, who on Saturday morning termed the incident an “act of God”.