14 years later, Delhi bus rape echoes Nirbhaya case

The report notes that the Nirbhaya case led to sweeping changes in rape laws and various safeguards by the Centre and the Delhi government, but the latest incident has raised doubts about the on-ground effectiveness of those measures.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh drew parallels between the May 11 incident and the Nirbhaya case, asking if this reflects the state of security in the national capital and the safety provided to women and girls.

A 30-year-old woman who works at a factory in Mangolpuri and lives with her family in Pitampura was returning home when a Bihar-registered sleeper bus stopped near the Saraswati Vihar B-block bus stand. Two men allegedly pulled her inside the moving bus after they invited her to come closer. The bus continued for several kilometres toward Nangloi; two men allegedly sexually assaulted her inside the vehicle, which had curtains covering its windows. The woman was later shifted to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital for medical examination. Police registered an FIR under gang rape charges and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the two accused — driver Umesh and conductor Ramendra — were arrested and sent to judicial custody.

In December 2012, a medical student nicknamed 'Nirbhaya' was assaulted by six men inside a moving private bus in south Delhi; she died later in a hospital in Singapore.