Female Medical Student Gang Raped in India Dies from Injuries

India's Parliament better strap their seat belts on, angry crowds are sick of government silence over sexual violence.

Protests broke out all over India after the crime came to light, now more are expected. abc.net.au

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Friends and family were forced to say goodbye to the 23-year-old girl who was gang-raped in Delhi and brutally assaulted by six male suspects nearly a fortnight ago. She passed away at a Singapore hospital early Saturday. This is bad news in a country known for ignoring the rape and sex assault of its own citizens.

The girl, a physiotherapy student, was beaten with an iron rod, raped by six men for over an hour by some accounts, and then both she and her friend were thrown from the moving bus.

She was admitted Thursday morning at the multi-organ specialty facility, Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. Some contested the idea of transporting her to Singapore rather than treating her in India. She remained in extremely critical condition, and died at 4:45 a.m. local time (2:15 a.m. Indian time), according to a statement issued by the hospital.

The hospital chief executive officer Dr Kelvin Loh said:

“We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 AM on 29 Dec 2012 (Singapore time). Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side. The Mount Elizabeth Hospital team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss.”

The attack against the young woman and her male companion sounds like something directly out of a 1970's Hollywood exploitation film.

As we reported 26 Dec. 2012:

In her detailed statement, which was hailed as “fearless and bold” by Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District) Chhaya Sharma, the victim provided an account of the horror she and her male friend went through on the fateful night. Ms. Sharma said the woman’s statement corroborated that of her 28-year-old software engineer friend.

The victim purportedly told the SDM that around 9.30 p.m. while she and her friend were standing at a bus stop at Munirka, they were called into the bus by the juvenile accused Rahul (name changed), who told them that the bus would go towards Palam. On entering the vehicle, the victims found that in all there were six others besides them in the vehicle.

A few minutes into the ride, her friend got suspicious as the bus had deviated from the supposed route and the other occupants had shut the door.

Shot of bus from NDTV

When he objected, the six accused taunted them, asking what they were doing together so late in the night.

A scuffle then ensued between the software engineer and others. The 28-year-old was hit on the head by Ram Singh. The woman was then dragged to the rear end of the vehicle by Rahul and Akshay Singh.

In her statement, the woman said that after hitting her friend, who fell unconscious, Ram Singh went to the back of the bus and was the first to force himself on her. It is learnt that the girl had heard some names while the attackers were calling out to each other.

Bus used in gang rape - NDTV

As they were being brutalised, the attackers threatened both the victims that they would be thrown out of the bus. Initially, the accused had only intended to throw the boy out of the vehicle but later they changed their mind after both the victims fell unconscious due to the torture they were subjected to.

About 30 minutes after boarding the bus, the two were thrown off it by the accused at Mahipalpur. The attackers had also robbed the victims of their clothes and belongings.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Saturday initiated action against three personnel for alleged inaction in a robbery case involving the bus on which the gang-rape and assault was committed.

Constables Kailash, Ashok and Sandeep of the Hauz Khas station have been suspended for not acting promptly when the occupants of the bus had robbed a carpenter, Ramadhar, after giving him a lift in their area just before committing the gang-rape.

The entrance of Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore, where the victim died from her injuries. Photo courtesy: arabnews.com

The gang rape and subsequent death of this young medical student have dominated Indian headlines, airwaves and television news. The anger is uniting the youth of the country in ways that many have never witnessed, and the accompanying wave of protests and violence over the past week went so far as to disrupt Parliament. Sources report that the angry demonstrations brought New Delhi to a standstill for nearly three days.

With regard to the sexual violence that grips the lives of Indian women, Sucheta Dey, who took part in protests held across India Monday, told Time:

"If a woman wants to go out at 2 or 3 a.m. in the night for whatever reason, her security has to be guaranteed." Dey added, "There is insecurity at every level. Women are even harassed when they go to police stations to report sexual-violence reports."

She says insecurity exists at every level, and that one of the worst problems of all, is the harassment of women who actually go to police stations to report sexual-violence reports.

Sources:

Delhi gang-rape victim succumbs to injuries - The Hindu

'They invited us in and shut doors, Gang rape victim - telugumirchi.com

How India’s rape name-and-shame database could backfire - posted by Olga Khaza The Washington Post

India: After New Delhi Gang Rape, Should the Culprits Be Executed? Nilanjana Bhowmick - Time magazine

Petition Demands Immediate Action from Prime Minister Over Delhi Gang Rape - Petition by Rita Banerji Salem-News.com

Photo by Bonnie King

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