Delhi gangrape: To stop rapes, Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde targets buses, mum on gunning for criminals in city

Under all-round attack over the barbaric gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi, the government on Wednesday announced a slew of measures to instill confidence among people shaken by the brutality of the Sunday night crime.

"It has been decided that there shall be immediate crackdown on buses having tinted glass and heavy curtains. They shall be impounded immediately, if they do not remove them. All buses will be asked to keep their lights on while plying at night in Delhi.

"All buses must be parked with their owners and not their drivers. They will be impounded immediately on violation. The photo identity card of drivers should be displayed on the bus with the helpline number in bold. Delhi Police have been asked to provide more number of vehicles for patrolling," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told the Rajya Sabha.

His response came as the issue kept reverberating in the House for the second day with members including Jaya Bachchan (SP), T Siva (DMK), Derek 'O' Brien (TMC) and Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) raising the matter and seeking to know as to what steps the government has taken in the wake of the ghastly incident.

Earlier, Shinde had a meeting with Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar during which it was decided that a drive will be launched to ensure removal of tinted glasses and curtains from buses. It was also decided that mobile number and licence number of drivers will be displayed in bold on buses.

The measures came a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi shot off strongly-worded letters to Shinde and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, saying it was a "matter of shame" that such incidents happen with painful regularity.

The Home Minister said four of the six accused have already been arrested and police teams are carrying out raids to nab the other two as a Special Investigation Team-led by a DSP rank officer has been set up to monitor the investigation.

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