Woman molested while travelling on Mumbai–Indore bus:Mother’s 150-km midnight chase to rescue daughter leads to 2 arrests; prime accused absconds

A young woman travelling from Mumbai to Indore was allegedly molested by three men, including the bus driver and cleaner. Her mother acted quickly after receiving a midnight call, traced the bus, and reached Sendhwa to rescue her daughter. Two accused were arrested, but the main suspect is still missing. A local court has now rejected the bail pleas of the arrested driver and cleaner. Bail rejected A Barwani court refused bail to the driver and cleaner accused in the molestation case. Police arrested them soon after the incident. The main accused is still absconding. The court noted that the act was not a minor case of misbehaviour, but involved obscene actions. Incident on the Mumbai–Indore bus The young woman from Indore works as an animator in Mumbai. On 6 November, she boarded a Hans Travels bus (AR-11 D-1919) from Goregaon to Indore.The bus stopped at Kasara Food Stop around 11:30 PM. Another driver from the same company asked the main driver to take in an extra passenger going to Indore. With him, the driver and cleaner also boarded. All three men were reportedly intoxicated. Obscene behaviour begins Soon after the bus left Kasara, the extra passenger made obscene remarks towards the woman, who was resting on the upper berth. The driver and cleaner supported him and laughed.The woman grew frightened and asked other passengers for help. When one passenger tried to intervene, the three men threatened him.The main accused has been identified as Kishore Singh. Mother acts immediately Terrified, the woman called her mother in Indore.Her mother told her, “Don’t worry, I am coming. Make the bus stop at Sendhwa toll plaza.”The woman’s family drove for three and a half hours and reached Sendhwa during the night. Meanwhile, the Sendhwa police were also alerted. Family confronts the accused The bus reached the Sendhwa naka around 7 AM. The family helped the woman get down.The accused men also got off the bus.The young woman told her mother about the obscene acts.The driver fell at their feet and apologised. The main accused, still intoxicated, argued with the family.The family decided to file a complaint and took the woman back to Indore. Former Lok Sabha Speaker informed The next day, the woman’s mother narrated the incident to former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.Mahajan then spoke to Police Commissioner Santosh Singh.He said the young woman was mentally disturbed and very scared. To avoid further trauma, the case would be registered at Rajendra Nagar police station instead of Sendhwa. Community takes up the matter Councillor Prashant Badve met the victim’s family.On 11 November, he, along with the family, BJP leaders and community members, met Collector Shivam Verma.The mother described how she traced the location, drove at night to Save her daughter, and found her frightened and calling repeatedly. Collector orders security measures The Collector held a meeting with all bus operators in Indore.He instructed them to strengthen passenger safety.This included installing panic buttons, verifying drivers and cleaners, and ensuring proper conduct. ‘Another Nirbhaya could have happened’ Councillor Badve said the mother’s quick action prevented a worse crime.He added that a young man on the bus also tried to help the woman.He said if the family had not acted quickly, “another Nirbhaya incident would have happened.”The main accused is yet to be arrested. FIR and the woman’s letter The woman filed a complaint at Rajendra Nagar police station on 10 November.The case was transferred to Sendhwa police.When Sendhwa police called her for a statement, she wrote to the Police Commissioner and the Barwani SP.She said the incident was extremely shameful and that Rajendra Nagar police had registered it under lighter sections. Community opposes bail On Friday, the driver and cleaner applied for bail.Members of the Marathi community opposed their bail through their lawyer.During the hearing, Advocate Shyam Ekadi told the court about the incident and raised safety concerns for the woman.The court then rejected the bail pleas of both accused.