Indian
police charged six men with murder on Saturday, hours after a woman who was
gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago died in a
Singapore hospital.
New Delhi
police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said the six face the death penalty if
convicted, in a case that has triggered protests across India for greater
protection for women from sexual violence, and raised questions about lax
attitudes by police toward sexual crimes.
Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the emotions the attack has
stirred, adding it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death
will not have been in vain.
The victim
"passed away peacefully" early on Saturday at Mount Elizabeth
hospital in Singapore with her family and officials of the Indian Embassy by
her side, Dr Kevin Loh, the chief executive of the hospital, said in a
statement.
After 10
days at a hospital in New Delhi, the Indian capital, the woman was brought on
Thursday to Mount Elizabeth, which specialises in multi-organ transplants.
Loh said the
woman had been in extremely critical condition since Thursday, and by late
Friday her condition had taken a turn for the worse, with her vital signs
deteriorating.
Grave injuries
"Despite
all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth hospital to keep
her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days,"
Loh said.
"She
had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body
and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the
odds, but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."
The woman
and a male friend, who have not been identified, were on a bus in New Delhi
after watching a film on the evening of 16 December when they were attacked by
six men who raped her.
The men beat the couple and inserted an iron
rod into the woman's body, resulting in severe organ damage. Both were then
stripped and thrown off the bus, according to police.
Indian
police have arrested six people in connection with the attack, which left the
victim with severe internal injuries, a lung infection and brain damage. She
also suffered from a heart attack while in the hospital in New Delhi.
Indian High
Commissioner, or ambassador, TCA Raghavan told reporters that the scale of the
injuries the woman suffered was "very grave" and in the end
"proved too much".
Protests
He said
arrangements were being made to return her body to India later on Saturday.
The
frightening nature of the crime shocked Indians, who have come out in the
thousands for almost daily demonstrations.
As news of
the victim's death reached New Delhi early on Saturday, hundreds of policemen
sealed off the high-security India Gate area, where the seat of India's
government is located, in anticipation of more protests. The area is home to
the president's palace, the prime minister's office and key defence, external
affairs and home ministries.
The area had
seen battles between protesters and police for days after the attack.
Ten metro
stations in the vicinity also were closed Saturday, Bhagat said.
Police were
allowing people to assemble at the Jantar Mantar and Ramlila grounds, the main
areas allotted for protests in New Delhi, he said.
Daily harassment
Mourners
began gathering at Jantar Mantar to express their grief and demand stronger
protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by
a maximum of life imprisonment.
Women face
daily harassment across India, ranging from catcalls on the streets, groping
and touching in public transport to rape.
They put a
wreath studded with white flowers on the road, lit a candle and sat around it
in a silent tribute to the young woman. Members of a theatre group nearby
played small tambourine and sang songs urging the society to wake up and end
discrimination against women.
Dipali, a working
woman who uses one name, said the rape victim deserved justice. "I hope it
never happens again to any girl," she said.
Dozens of
students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi marched silently to the
bus stop from where the rape victim and her friend had boarded the bus on 16
December. They carried placards reading "She is not with us but her story
must awaken us."
Nehra Kaul
Mehra, a young Indian studying urban and gender policing at Colombia University
in the United States, said "We come from a feudal and patriarchal set-up
where we value men more than women."
Sobering reminder
"We
kill daughters before they are born. Those who live are fed less, educated less
and segregated from boys," she said with a black band of protest around
her mouth.
Sonia
Gandhi, the governing Congress party chief, assured the protesters in a
statement that the rape victim's death "deepens our determination to
battle the pervasive, the shameful social attitudes and mindset that allow men
to rape and molest women and girls with such an impunity".
The
protesters heckled Sheila Dikshit, the top elected leader of New Delhi state,
when she came to express her sympathy with them and forced her to leave the
protest venue. They blamed her for the deteriorating law and order situation in
the Indian capital.
Meenakshi
Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the woman's death was
a sobering reminder of the widespread sexual violence in India.
"The
outrage now should lead to law reform that criminalizes all forms of sexual
assault, strengthens mechanisms for implementation and accountability, so that
the victims are not blamed and humiliated," Ganguly said.
Prime
Minister Singh said he understood the angry reaction to the attack and that he
hoped all Indians would work together to make appropriate changes.
Time for strict laws
"These
are perfectly understandable reactions from a young India and an India that
genuinely desires change," Singh said in a statement on Saturday. "It
would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions
and energies into a constructive course of action."
He said the
government was examining the penalties for crimes such as rape "to enhance
the safety and security of women".
"I hope
that the entire political class and civil society will set aside narrow
sectional interests and agendas to help us all reach the end that we all desire
- making India a demonstrably better and safer place for women to live
in," Singh said.
Mamta
Sharma, head of the state-run National Commission for Women, said the
"time has come for strict laws" to stop violence against women.
"The society has to change its mindset to end crimes against women,"
she said.
The tragedy
has forced India to confront the reality that sexually assaulted women are
often blamed for the crime, forcing them to keep quiet and discouraging them
from reporting it to authorities for fear of exposing their families to
ridicule.
Police often
refuse to accept complaints from those who are courageous enough to report the
rapes, and the rare prosecutions that reach courts drag on for years.
Tribute from Bollywood
Indian
attitudes toward rape are so entrenched that even politicians and opinion
makers have often suggested that women should not go out at night or wear clothes
that might be seen provocative.
On Friday,
Abhijit Mukherjee, a national lawmaker and the son of India's president,
apologised for calling the protesters "highly dented and painted"
women who go from discos to demonstrations.
"I
tender my unconditional apology to all the people whose sentiments got
hurt," he told NDTV news.
Several
Indian celebrities reacted with sadness on Saturday over the woman's death.
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, "Her body has passed away, but
her soul shall forever stir our hearts."
Separately,
authorities in Punjab state took action on Thursday when an 18-year-old woman
killed herself by drinking poison a month after she told police she was
gang-raped.
State
authorities suspended one police officer and fired two others on accusations
they delayed investigating and taking action in the case. The three accused in
the rape were arrested only on Thursday night, a month after the crime was
reported.
Police officer suspended
"This
is a very sensitive crime, I have taken it very seriously," said Paramjit
Singh Gill, a top police officer in the city of Patiala.
The Press
Trust of India reported that the woman was raped on 13 November and reported
the attack to police 27 November. But police harassed the girl, asked her
embarrassing questions and took no action against the accused, PTI reported,
citing police sources.
Authorities
in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh also suspended a police officer on
accusations he refused to register a rape complaint from a woman who said she
had been attacked by a driver.
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