Learnt nothing from Nirbhaya case: AAP slams BJP after woman gang-raped in bus

New Delhi,UPDATED: May 14, 2026 20:19 IST

The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Centre and the Delhi government over the alleged gangrape of a 30-year-old woman inside a moving private bus in northwest Delhi, with party leaders drawing parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case and questioning women’s safety in the national capital.

Addressing the issue, AAP leaders accused the BJP-led Centre of failing to ensure women’s safety in Delhi and targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta over the incident.

“Delhi has become a den of criminals in the matter of women’s safety. Who is responsible for this? The central government must answer. Humanity is ashamed in BJP rule,” AAP MP Sanjay Singh said.

Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia termed the incident “another Nirbhaya case” and said, “Gangrape in a moving bus again. All BJP engines in Delhi have come to a standstill. Girls are not safe in schools, not safe in buses.”

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also reacted to the incident, saying, “We learned nothing from Nirbhaya. This incident is a stain on the entire society.”

The party also referred to the recent alleged rape of a three-year-old girl at a private school in Janakpuri and accused authorities of inaction. In a statement, AAP said that while party leaders protesting outside Raj Niwas seeking justice for the child were detained by police, “Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was enjoying a movie in a cinema hall.”

The remarks came amid outrage over the alleged gangrape of a 30-year-old woman inside a private sleeper bus in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area on May 11. According to police, the woman was allegedly dragged into the bus by the driver after she asked him for the time near a bus stand in Saraswati Vihar. She was then allegedly raped by the driver and conductor while the bus moved towards Nangloi.

Police said both accused were arrested the following day.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikram Singh said an FIR was registered immediately after the woman’s statement was recorded. The case was lodged under sections 64(1) (rape), 70(1) (gangrape) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigators have seized the bus and are examining CCTV footage, forensic evidence and the route taken by the vehicle during the alleged assault. Police are also probing whether any other passengers were present in the bus at the time of the incident.

The incident triggered fresh political sparring over women’s safety in Delhi, with AAP linking it to the alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl at a private school in Janakpuri earlier this month.

A 57-year-old school caretaker arrested in the Janakpuri case was later granted bail by a Delhi court despite opposition from the prosecution.

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