DTC suspends inter-state buses, Delhi-Lahore service after Dera violence | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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DTC suspends inter-state buses, Delhi-Lahore service after Dera violence

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Aug 26, 2017 11:14 AM IST

Commuters travelling between Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh and Delhi will likely find no buses and face interrupted metro services in some sectors on Saturday.

The Delhi Transport Corporation has suspended its inter-state, night and the Delhi-Lahore bus services in wake of the violence after self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted in a rape case on Friday even as Delhi Police clamped prohibitory orders.

A DTC bus that was set on fire by followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim after he was conviction for rape, in New Delhi on August 25, 2017.(PTI Photo)
A DTC bus that was set on fire by followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim after he was conviction for rape, in New Delhi on August 25, 2017.(PTI Photo)

Bus services to towns in the National Capital Region such as Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh were also suspended after several buses were set on fire in several parts of Delhi.

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A DTC official said the services have been suspended also because buses were being targeted in arson and violence in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.

“The Delhi-Lahore bus service has been suspended because it passes through violence-hit Haryana and Punjab,” he said.

“Around 40 of DTCs night service buses, which run from 9pm onwards have been suspended,” said DTC spokesperson Sanjay Saxena.

A decision to resume the services will be taken after normalcy is restored, another DTC official said.

The suspension of night services left several people were left stranded at Anand Vihar Inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) who were headed for neighbouring states.

“As a preventive measure, we have enforced Section 144 of the CrPC in Delhi in 11 police districts,” said SBK Singh, special commissioner of police (Law and Order, North).

A senior police officer told PTI that the prohibitory orders would be in force till September 8.

The national capital has 13 police districts. North and central districts will not fall under the ambit of the orders, since no incidents were reported from there, the officer said.

Delhi Police Public Relations Officer Madhur Verma said five “miscreants” were arrested for allegedly attempting to set buses ablaze in Badarpur and Khyala areas.

He said cases have been registered and it is suspected that these people are followers of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief. Police have procured CCTV footages for further probe.

Fire department officials said they received calls about fires from Khyala, Badarpur, Manglapuri, near Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, Mandoli, Mehrauli, Samaypur Badli, Anand Vihar Railway Stataion and other parts of the city.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s followers allegedly torched a bus in northeast Delhi’s Loni Chowk on Friday.

A fire also engulfed two coaches of the Rewa Express stationed at the Anand Vihar Railway Station in east Delhi although it was not immediately clear if it was a case of arson.

A special CBI court in Panchkula in Haryana convicted the 50-year-old godman in the 2002 rape case, triggering widespread violence and arson by his supporters in Punjab and Haryana.

At least 30 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the violence.

(with agency inputs)

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Sweta Goswami writes on politics, urban development, transportation, energy and social welfare. Based in Delhi, she tracks government policies and suggests corrections based on public feedback and on-ground implementation through her reports. She has also covered the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) since its inception.

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