A gangrape case involving a 16-year-old girl on a moving sleeper bus has triggered a jurisdictional dispute between the Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Police.
The alleged crime took place on August 4 during a 47-kilometre bus journey from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida to the Ring Road area near the Kashmere Gate Inter-State Bus Terminal in Delhi. The survivor was allegedly sexually assaulted by the driver and conductor of the bus.
According to Delhi Police, the girl had left her home in Mainpuri on August 3 after being reprimanded by her mother over her studies. She intended to travel to her cousin's home in Noida Sector 63.
The following evening, she reportedly reached Pari Chowk after it became dark and started raining. Police said she saw a bus approaching and signalled for it to stop. The conductor allegedly told her that the bus was going towards Sector 63, following which she boarded.
Police said there were no other passengers on the sleeper bus. Shortly after the journey began, the conductor allegedly behaved inappropriately with the girl before he and the driver allegedly sexually assaulted her. The two men also allegedly threatened to kill her when she resisted.
The girl was later dropped near Kashmere Gate, after which she approached the local police station and reported the incident. Delhi Police registered an FIR alleging gangrape, kidnapping and assault, along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Delhi Police subsequently analysed CCTV footage and traced the bus to a parking area in Timarpur, around 15 minutes from Kashmere Gate. The two accused men were arrested within four hours, according to the police.
The arrests, however, led to a dispute over which police force should have handled the case. Gautam Buddh Nagar Police said the alleged crime occurred within its commissionerate area and claimed that the Noida Police had not been informed by Delhi Police before the arrests were publicly announced.
Delhi Police defended its action, saying that under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, crimes against women can be registered and investigated at the place where they are reported.
The case has therefore raised questions about coordination between police forces when a serious crime takes place across state and city boundaries.
The investigation is continuing, with the bus seized as part of the probe. The case has also renewed concerns about the safety of minors travelling alone and the challenges law-enforcement agencies face when crimes occur during inter-state journeys.
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