Woman sexually assaulted by bus crew at Uchangidurga, trio arrested

DAVANAGERE: A woman was sexually assaulted by the driver, conductor and cleaner of a private bus near Channapura, close to the pilgrim site of Uchangidurga in Harapanahalli taluk of Vijayanagar district, March 31. Hearing her screams, some locals rushed to her rescue and handed over the three men to the police.

The woman, who hails from Belagavi, along with her two children, had travelled from Uchangidurga, a pilgrim spot visited by lakhs of people around Ugadi. On her return journey, she boarded the last bus from Uchangidurga in which there were about 7-8 other passengers.

When all the other passengers had gotten off the bus, the driver, conductor and cleaner, gagged the children, tied up their hand and legs and sexually assaulted the woman in a desolate spot. However, she raised an alarm to save her children.

Hearing her screams, some farmers who were working in the fields, and passersby rushed to her rescue the woman and her children. The locals also apprehended the bus driver Prakash Madiwalar, cleaner Rajashekar and conductor Suresh and handed them over to the Arasikere police.

However, Dalit organisations alleged that the police got the woman to sign on a blank paper, gave her Rs 2,000 and dropper her off near the foot of Uchangidurga hills. They immediately called the Vijayanagar SP Srihari Babu, who arrived at the spot and heard the woman’s ordeal. He also ensured that the accused were arrested.