In a rerun of the Delhi gangrape case, a woman and her teenage daughter were allegedly molested and thrown off a running bus belonging to the ruling Badal family in Punjab, leaving the girl dead and mother seriously wounded and kicking up a political storm.

The shocking incident occurred last evening close to Gill village on the Moga Kotkapura road, about 10 km from the Moga district headquarters, and four persons including the driver, cleaner and conductor of the bus were arrested today,police said. The woman was travelling with her daughter and son in the nearly empty bus from Moga to Baghapurana when the accused began molesting them, ignoring desperate pleas to let them go. Her 10-year-old son watched the whole drama unfold before him in horror and the stunned youngster was later handed over to the family by police.

The 38-year-old woman and her daughter were rushed to the Moga civil hospital where the girl was declared brought dead. The woman was a Dalit and the police have registered a case under Section 3 of the SC Act in police station Baghapurana, police said. In her statement to the police, the injured woman has alleged that she and her 16-year-old daughter were molested by the conductor, cleaner and another person on a running bus and then “thrown off”, according to Moga’s SP (Detective) H S Pannu.

Earlier reports attributed to the police had said the duo had jumped off the vehicle to escape the molesters.

Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini said conductor Sukhminder Singh, cleaner Gurdip Singh and another accused known to them Amarjit Singh were the actual perpetrators, while driver Ranjit Singh has been arrested for his “culpability” of being at the wheel when the alleged incident took place.

Saini said a case of murder under section 302 and other relevant sections including 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 34 (common intention) of IPC has been registered in connection with the incident. The bus has been impounded. The Punjab DGP said the bus belonged to Orbit Aviation, a company owned by the Badal family.