How safe are passengers in DTC buses: HC asks govt, police

How safe are the passengers, especially women, travelling in public transport buses?
The Delhi High Court asked this question to the AAP government today.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed the city government and the police to present a status report indicating steps taken by them to ensure passenger security and safety in the buses operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) in the national capital.
The court told the Delhi government that all its buses have to be safe for passengers and listed the matter for further hearing on July 26.

The order by the bench came on a PIL by a lawyer whose laptop was stolen when he was travelling on a cluster bus. When he confronted the thieves, they tried to slash him by knives but he escaped unhurt.
The lawyer, Manish Kumar, in his plea had contended that no FIR was lodged in connection with the offence which occurred on September 20 last year, but the cops referred him from one police station to another.

During the hearing, Delhi government's standing counsel for crimes Rahul Mehra told the bench that a zero FIR has been lodged.
Mehra and additional Delhi government standing counsel Gautam Narayan told the court that all buses to be procured by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) in future would have CCTVs installed in them. They also said that more than 700 marshals were travelling in select cluster and normal buses run by the DTC.

The petitioner lawyer has alleged that while the Delhi government was pushing people to opt for public transport, it was not doing anything to make the buses safer for passengers. He has sought installation of CCTV cameras and other safety and security features in all DTC buses.
He has also sought a CBI or SIT probe into the alleged non-registration of FIR by the police on reporting of cognisable offences.