Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
On 15 June, 19-year-old Anshika Yadav was going to Shikohabad from Noida with her mother by a UP Roadways bus. She fell ill during the journey, causing panic among passengers who allegedly suspected her of having contracted COVID-19.
Anshika’s mother says, responding to the situation, the driver and conductor dragged her out of the bus and dropped her on the Yamuna Expressway.
Soon after, the girl passed away. The family claims she passed away after sustaining a head injury from allegedly being thrown off the bus.
“Anshika did not have any illness. It was an exceptionally hot day. She felt dizzy after getting on the bus and then got sick. When the bus reached close to the station in Mathura, the driver and the conductor forcefully dragged her out.”Sarvesh Yadav, Mother of the deceased girl
Her mother alleges that when she asked for water, she was given no help despite Anshika’s deteriorating health.
When the victim’s brother, Shiv Kumar Yadav, went to Mant Police Station to lodge a complaint regarding the incident, he was reportedly asked to leave by the station officer.
“If the passengers in the bus believed my sister was infected by coronavirus, they should have called an ambulance to send her to a health centre for treatment. It is gravely upsetting that instead of doing that, the bus conductor threw my sister out of the bus.”Shiv Kumar Yadav, Brother of the deceased girl
The family said that according to the doctors, Anshika died due to heart attack. Anshika reportedly suffered a head injury as well, which the family says was caused by her being allegedly thrown off the bus. However, details of the injury do not find mention in the post-mortem report.
Anshika’s older brother, Vipin Yadav, also alleges that the police refused to lodge an FIR.
“The authorities did not listen to us at all. They did not even let us lodge an FIR. Moreover, a post-mortem was conducted, then why wasn’t a corona test conducted?”Vipin Yadav, Brother of the deceased girl
Vipin said that after a lot of trouble, he met the SSP at Mathura, who finally filed the FIR.
He also said that the people responsible for mistreating his sister and causing her death, over their suspicion of Anshika having coronavirus, include the workers of the bus, as well as the law enforcement officers.
Police Denies That They Refused to File FIR Initially
However, Bhim Singh, SHO of Mathura’s Mant police station, denied the family’s claim that the FIR wasn’t registered initially.
“No, it’s not true. I gave her mother the post-mortem report that day itself. We can lodge an FIR only when someone gives us the details of the incident.... We even got the CCTV footage from the toll plaza.”Bhim Singh, SHO, Mant Police Station, Mathura
On being asked why the police did not try to track the driver and conductor after the FIR was registered, Singh responded, “How can we send anyone to jail without the evidence of murder?”
On insisting that they could have at least enquired and interrogated the bus driver and the conductor, the SHO said they will now interrogate the concerned persons.
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