Moga bandh evokes mixed response; Yogendra Yadav meets kin

Moga: The day long bandh seeking registration of criminal case against owners of Orbit bus in which a teenage girl was allegedly molested and pushed to death, evoked a mixed response on Monday. The bandh called by opposition Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) and other social organisations saw few commercial establishments shut their shops, while it was business as usual for others at other pockets in the area. [caption id=“attachment_2227188” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Social activist and psephologist Yogendra Yadav. PTI[/caption] However, Orbit buses remained off the roads today. The protesters have also demanded for a CBI probe into the incident. Meanwhile, expelled AAP leader Yogendra Yadav met with the victims’ family on Monday and expressed solidarity with them. Former chief minister and deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh is also expected to visit the family later in the day. An uneasy calm prevailed in Moga as the girl’s death has taken political overtones even as ruling SAD-BJP brokered a compromise with the aggrieved family. Yesterday, ending a four-day protest against the ruling Badal family, father of the victim accepted Punjab government’s offer of compensation and a job and also agreed for the post-mortem and cremation of his daughter. The body of the teen-aged girl was consigned to flames at her village Lande Ke amid tight security. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had described the incident as “intolerable” and “painful” while the police said all the four accused had been arrested. The girl was pushed off a moving bus last week along with her mother after they resisted molestation attempts. The bus belongs to Orbit Aviation, the company owned by relatives of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. PTI