Bhumi Pednekar reacts to alleged rape of 16-year-old in moving Delhi-NCR bus: “How can we see this happen again and again and again! Shame!”
Bhumi Pednekar has spoken out following the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl inside a moving sleeper bus in the Delhi-NCR region. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of women and minors while travelling on private buses. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also taken cognisance of the case.
Bhumi addressed the incident through her Instagram Stories on Monday. Questioning how such cases continue to occur despite repeated discussions about women’s safety, she wrote, “How can we see this happen again and again and again! Shame!”
According to a Hindustan Times report, Delhi Police arrested the driver and conductor of a sleeper bus for allegedly gang-raping the minor. Police said the teenager, a Class 11 student from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly misled into boarding the bus in Greater Noida earlier this month. The accused allegedly drove her across different parts of Delhi-NCR before abandoning her near Kashmere Gate.
The case has also resulted in a jurisdictional dispute between the police forces of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. UP Police have alleged that Delhi Police did not inform them about the incident despite the alleged assault taking place within the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate area.
According to Delhi Police, the teenager had left her home on August 3 without informing her parents after being reprimanded by her mother over her studies. She was travelling to her cousin’s residence in Sector 63, Noida.
Police said the girl accidentally got down at Pari Chowk after it became dark and heavy rain began. She reportedly signalled to an approaching bus for help, following which the conductor allegedly told her that the bus was headed towards Sector 63. She boarded the vehicle, where police said there were no other passengers.
The conductor allegedly behaved inappropriately with her after the bus started moving. Police alleged that both the driver and conductor sexually assaulted the teenager and threatened to kill her when she resisted.
Following the complaint, Delhi Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The girl underwent a medical examination, which confirmed the assault.
Investigators used CCTV footage and other information to trace the bus to a parking area in Timarpur, north Delhi. The vehicle was seized and sent for forensic examination. The teenager was subsequently produced before the Child Welfare Committee and, following its directions, handed over to her father.
On the work front, Bhumi was last seen in Daldal, where she portrayed DCP Rita Ferreira, a police officer investigating a series of murders in Mumbai while dealing with a troubled past. The series, based on Vish Dhamija’s bestselling novel Bhendi Bazaar, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Before Daldal, Bhumi appeared in films including Mere Husband Ki Biwi, Khel Khel Mein and Bhakshak.
The post Bhumi Pednekar reacts to alleged rape of 16-year-old in moving Delhi-NCR bus: “How can we see this happen again and again and again! Shame!” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.