Moga molestation: Two bus helpers get bail

With the prime witnesses turning hostile in the infamous Moga molestation case in which a 13-year-old girl died after being molested and pushed off a moving bus owned by the ruling Badal family in April last year, the district court on Wednesday granted bail to two helpers.

With the prime witnesses turning hostile in the infamous Moga molestation case in which a 13-year-old girl died after being molested and pushed off a moving bus owned by the ruling Badal family in April last year, the district court on Wednesday granted bail to two helpers.

A file photo of people protesting against the state government at Moga civil hospital following the alleged molestation of a woman and her daughter on a bus. (JS Grewal/HT Photo)

The court of additional district and session judge Gurjant Singh granted bail to two helpers, Gurdeep Singh alias Jimmy and Amar Ram alias Dana. The court, however, rejected the bail plea of driver Sukhwinder Singh alias Pamma and conductor Gurdeep Singh.

Two prime witnesses, including victim’s mother and brother have already turned hostile and refused to identify the accused.

Another witness, bus stop in-charge Ranjit Singh, who had identified all accused before the police, has also turned hostile, claiming that he was only a farmer. “I had resigned as bus stop in-charge in 2012,” he told the court. In his statement to police on April 29, 2015, Ranjit had said the Orbit bus had reached Moga at 3.20pm and departed at 3.26pm.

Assistant district attorney (ADA) Lakhvir Singh said the two helpers were granted bail as hostile witnesses have weakened the case.