One of Mumbai’s BEST Bus Conductors was sentenced to one year in jail for sexually harassing a thirteen-year-old student using the bus services, on Thursday.
It was in 2018 that the school student was regularly plying through the bus to get to and fro from school. Special Public Prosecutor Geeta Sharma brought to light that the occurrence transpired on July 24, 2018, when the student was making her way back home from school. In her testimony to the court, the girl added that she was compelled to sit in one of the back seats in the bus since the front ones were occupied. She further elaborated that the conductor then made his way to her, asking for a pass, which she provided. A while into the journey, when only a handful of passengers were left on the bus, the conductor started questioning her about her knowledge of sex. After telling him to not have the said conversation with her, he moved away to the front seats. However, he came back and started broaching the subject again. She once again voiced her discontent after which she got off the bus when her stop arrived.
Frightened with what had transpired she kept quiet at home. However, she confided with her friend two days later, who apprised the victim’s mother of the occurrences. The next day the victim with her parents visited the bus depot and identified the accused.
An FIR was then lodged by the family at Nehru Nagar police station. The accused however claimed that the victim did not have a pass and was asked to get off the bus. According to him, agitated by it, she filed a false complaint.
The court convicted the conductor under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and fined him Rs 15000.
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