New Delhi [India], October 24 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging that it is selectively targeting super deluxe buses deployed for elderly pilgrims under the Punjab Government's Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana.
NHRC refuted the political bias claims, citing passenger safety standards set by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT).
In a post on X, the AAP national convenor questioned the intent behind the human rights body's recent safety inspections, asserting that only Punjab's pilgrimage vehicles are being singled out while transport fleets in other states remain unexamined.
"The country's largest human rights institution, NHRC, has conducted bus inspections for the first time in its history. Which buses? The super deluxe buses that take Punjab's people on pilgrimages. What deficiencies were found in them? Like, why is there a partition between the driver and the passengers? Has NHRC inspected UP Roadways buses? No. Have they inspected roadways buses from any other state? No. Only the pilgrimage super deluxe buses from Punjab were inspected," he said.
He further questioned, "Modi ji, why are you so bent on stopping the elderly's pilgrimages? Why do you take the elderly's sighs? It will bring a lot of sin. All Punjabis will curse you."
Kejriwal's sharp reaction came after the NHRC took cognisance of serious allegations regarding the deployment of unsafe and potentially non-compliant AC sleeper buses under the Punjab Government’s Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, meant to facilitate pilgrimage for senior citizens and economically disadvantaged persons.
The complaint raises concerns regarding alleged unauthorised structural modifications, installation of partitions and doors separating the driver’s cabin from the passenger compartment, obstruction of emergency exits and windows, and deficiencies in essential fire detection, suppression and emergency evacuation arrangements.
Rejecting Kejriwal's allegations, NHRC Member Priyank Kanoongo took a jab at him through a post on X, "Don't be afraid, Arvind! We haven't yet launched an investigation into the commissions you're getting from running these buses."
Defending the commission's probe, Kanoongo pointed out that national safety guidelines established by CIRT Pune explicitly classify passenger-driver partitions in sleeper buses as hazardous.
"In the past years, citizens across the country have lost their lives in fire accidents in sleeper coach buses. We had these incidents investigated, and in our probe, the renowned institution CIRT Pune, which sets safety standards for buses in the country, informed us that having a partition between the driver and passengers in sleeper buses is dangerous and against safety guidelines. In one such accident, a fire broke out at the back of the bus, and the driver didn't even realise it had caught fire," Kanoongo explained.
Kanoongo further highlighted that the NHRC's crackdown is not selective but nationwide, noting that over 1,000 unsafe buses have been taken off the roads or have been restructured across various States over the past year.
"For the past year, we've been taking continuous action against such non-standard buses and have had 1,000 such buses removed from operation or subjected to restrictive measures across the country," he said.
Sharpening his criticism against the AAP leader, Kanoongo said that Kejriwal should stop playing with innocent lives and ensure safe bus travel.
"You're so greedy and foolish that you're playing with innocent citizens' lives for the sake of your commissions and your authoritarian ways. Don't take commissions and ensure safe bus travel, that's all there is to it. If any citizen's life is endangered due to your chaos and authoritarianism, you'll end up back in jail," he said. (ANI)
Arvind Kejriwal slams NHRC over safety inspections of Punjab pilgrimage buses; NHRC fires back
