LoP Rahul Gandhi Attacks Centre Over Gaps In Sleeper Bus Surveillance
Rahul Gandhi demands answers over bus gang-rape.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government after the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl inside a moving sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi. Gandhi questioned whether police officials would face accountability, saying the case had exposed serious gaps in passenger-bus monitoring across the National Capital Region.
In a Hindi post on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said Delhi-NCR had become unsafe for women, referring to the alleged assault during a journey of about 47 kilometres. He said it was astonishing that the bus could travel from Greater Noida into Delhi without attracting the attention of either Noida or Delhi Police. Gandhi also alleged that no accountability would be fixed under Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and that the issue would eventually be forgotten.
The survivor, a Class 11 student from Uttar Pradesh, allegedly boarded the sleeper bus near Pari Chowk in Greater Noida on the night of August 4 after the driver and conductor reportedly told her they were heading towards Noida’s Sector 63. Police said the men instead drove towards Delhi, taking the Greater Noida-Noida Expressway, entering through the Chilla border and later passing through Mayur Vihar before travelling towards Kashmere Gate.
According to police, the minor was allegedly sexually assaulted and threatened while the bus was in motion. She was later left near Ring Road close to the Kashmere Gate Inter-State Bus Terminal in Old Delhi after the vehicle had covered approximately 47 kilometres. The girl then approached police, who arranged a medical examination and registered a case without delaying action over jurisdictional questions, officials said.
Delhi Police said CCTV footage and technical surveillance were used to trace the vehicle to a parking facility in Timarpur, north Delhi. The bus driver, identified as Kuldeep, and conductor Sandeep were arrested within hours, while the vehicle was seized and sent for forensic examination.
The suspects have been booked under provisions relating to wrongful confinement, kidnapping and gang rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, according to police reports. Gandhi linked the case to the continuing debate over women’s safety since the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, widely known as the Nirbhaya case. He asked why prescribed rules for checking and monitoring buses were still not being enforced despite repeated crimes and years of public scrutiny.
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The incident has renewed questions about oversight of passenger vehicles, coordination between police forces in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, and whether safety mechanisms are adequate for women travelling alone, especially at night. The bus involved in the alleged crime was registered in Firozabad and reportedly operated by a Noida-based travel firm, according to police and media reports. Investigators said the vehicle was running without proper trip documentation and that the driver and conductor had misled the girl about the destination before committing the assault. Authorities have also questioned the operator about how the bus was being used and whether required permits and safety checks were in place.
Gandhi’s remarks came amid broader public anger over the case, with activists and political leaders demanding stricter enforcement of bus-safety protocols and faster trials in sexual-offence cases. He urged the government to ensure that the perpetrators are punished swiftly and that systemic failures are addressed, rather than allowing the matter to fade from public attention.
The survivor has been receiving medical care and counselling, and police have said they are working to ensure her safety and privacy during the investigation. Meanwhile, the case has intensified calls for better coordination between state and central agencies on transport safety, more rigorous checks on intercity buses, and stronger deterrents against those who exploit vulnerable passengers.
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