Shadows of Nirbhaya still linger as woman alleges rape inside moving bus in Delhi

A 30-year-old woman was allegedly raped by the driver and conductor of a private sleeper bus in Delhi’s Nangloi area, with police arresting both accused after the survivor filed a complaint, officials said on May 14.

According to police, the incident took place on the night of May 12 when the woman was returning home from work and boarded the bus in West Delhi. Investigators said she alleged that the driver and conductor sexually assaulted her inside the moving vehicle before abandoning her on the roadside.

Delhi Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to rape and sexual assault. The bus has been seized for forensic examination, while CCTV footage from surrounding routes and areas is being analysed as part of the investigation.

The incident has reignited memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, in which a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was brutally assaulted inside a moving bus in Delhi, triggering nationwide protests and leading to major changes in India’s criminal laws on sexual violence.

More than a decade later, official crime data continues to show Delhi among the worst-performing metropolitan cities in crimes against women.

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Delhi recorded 13,396 cases of crimes against women in 2024, the highest among metro cities in India. The city also registered 1,058 rape cases during the year, again the highest among metropolitan regions.

The NCRB data further showed that Delhi continued to report high levels of kidnapping, assault, molestation and crimes against children despite an overall decline in some categories of crime.

Government records released in December 2024 showed that Delhi had reported 4,273 cases of rape, molestation and eve-teasing until mid-December that year. Although slightly lower than the previous year, the numbers reinforced persistent concerns over women’s safety in the capital.

Following the Nirbhaya case, authorities introduced stricter rape laws, fast-track courts, GPS mandates for commercial vehicles, emergency response systems and expanded CCTV surveillance.

However, activists and women’s rights groups have repeatedly argued that implementation gaps, weak policing, delayed justice and unsafe public transport continue to leave women vulnerable.

The latest case has also renewed scrutiny over safety checks in privately operated buses and the monitoring of commercial transport operators in Delhi.

Police said statements of the survivor are being recorded before a magistrate and further investigation is underway.