Bhumi Pednekar condemns 16‑year‑old’s bus rape; demands urgent safety reforms

Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar has voiced her outrage over a harrowing incident in which a 16‑year‑old girl from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gang‑raped on a moving sleeper bus in the Delhi‑NCR region. The case, which has drawn national attention, also prompted the National Human Rights Commission to intervene and highlighted long‑standing concerns about women’s safety on private transport.

Pednekar took to Instagram Stories on Monday to condemn the crime, writing, “How can we see this happen again and again and again! Shame!” The actress, who was speaking at the Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit and Awards 2026 in Mumbai, called for urgent reforms to prevent such tragedies.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the driver and conductor of the bus were arrested after police alleged they lured the teenager onto the vehicle in Greater Noida earlier this month. The girls was said to have been misled into boarding the bus by the conductor, who claimed it was heading to her cousin’s home in Sector 63, Noida.

Once the bus was in motion, the conductor reportedly began behaving inappropriately towards the girl. Police say the driver and conductor then sexually assaulted her inside the moving vehicle. When she resisted, the men allegedly threatened to kill her. Delhi Police registered the case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and the victim was taken for a medical examination that confirmed the assault.

The investigation, aided by CCTV footage, traced the bus to a parking lot in Timarpur, north Delhi. The vehicle was seized and sent for forensic analysis. A jurisdictional dispute arose when Uttar Pradesh Police claimed Delhi Police failed to inform them, even though the alleged assault occurred within the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate area. The girl was later produced before a Child Welfare Committee and, following its directions, was handed over to her father. The case remains under active police scrutiny as authorities work to bring the accused to justice.