JAIPUR: In yet another case of people taking law into their hands, a woman passenger was thrashed and flogged inside a city bus on suspicion of being a
pickpocket by the driver.
The heinous act was done to the cheers of a partisan crowd in the heart of the city on Thursday.
The chilling video of the act went viral on social media in which the driver, identified as Het Ram, can be seen kicking a woman, who had just entered the bus on 9A route, a series indicating buses plying on the Tonk Road.
The driver is then seen repeatedly flogging her with a belt before eventually kicking her out of the stationary bus. Shockingly, majority of the passengers did not stop the driver and can be heard shouting, “Sudharo isko” (teach her a lesson), while others kept hurling expletives at her. One woman passenger could be heard shouting, “Bahar feko isko” (throw her out).
While the woman in the bus could not be identified, the driver has been suspended by the Jaipur City Transport Ltd (JCTL) and an enquiry ordered. JCTL is a government organization which ply buses on city routes.
The latest incident is another grim reminder of the state’s increasing cases of mob justice. JCTL’s managing director Suresh Kumar Ola told TOI that the incident happened at 11.55 am when the bus had stopped at a stand between Rambagh and Naryan Singh Circle on Thursday.
‘Police should have acted on time’
“The driver is from a company with whom we have a contract for operating the buses. We have asked the contractor to suspend him with immediate effect,” he said, adding that the bus conductor belonged to JCTL and did not take part in the crime.
Ironically, the JCTL took action only after the video went viral. The city police were clueless and said that no complaint has been received till late evening even though a PCR van was said to be present at the spot.
Chairperson of the Rajasthan Woman Commission Suman Sharma said police officials have been instructed to appear before the commission on Friday. “The police should have acted on time and sent a PCR van. Suspension is not enough, the contracting company should be blacklisted,” she said, adding that the FIR would be registered as soon as possible.
Rajasthan Congress vicepresident Dr Archana Sharma said that it was deplorable that a woman was beaten in a public transport. “It is shameful that woman was beaten up in a government bus. It’s an example of government apathy towards women,” she said.
A woman passenger was thrashed and flogged inside a city bus on suspicion of being a pickpocket by the driver.
