Sunday, 30 December 2012

Delhi gang-rape victim's funeral held



Ambulance bearing the body of Indian gang-rape victim, Delhi (30 Dec)The woman's remains were flown back to Delhi from Singapore

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A young Indian woman who died after being gang-raped on a bus has been cremated in the capital, Delhi.
The ceremony came hours after an aircraft chartered by the Indian government brought the woman's body back to the city.
The 23-year-old medical student died in a Singapore hospital where she was being treated for severe injuries.
On Saturday, thousands of people took part in peaceful protests across India to demand more protection for women.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the head of India's governing Congress party Sonia Gandhi were at the airport for the arrival of the plane which landed at about 04:15 (22:45 GMT).
Witnesses said a convoy carrying a gold-coloured coffin and the victim's parents then drove towards the Janakpuri district of Delhi where she had been living.
The private funeral was held amid tight security.
Mrs Gandhi has promised to fight what she called India's shameful social mindsets that lie behind such crimes.
The BBC's Andrew North in Delhi says the government has been heavily criticised for its response to the attack and remains anxious about a backlash, with police still cordoning off the heart of the capital to prevent demonstrations.
Vigils
Six men arrested for the 16 December rape have been charged with murder. If convicted, they face the death penalty.
On Saturday, candlelit vigils were held across India to mourn the woman and express anger and sorrow at her death.

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Clearly, many Indian women face threats to life at every stage - violence, inadequate healthcare, inequality, neglect, bad diet, lack of attention to personal health and well-being”
Large areas of Delhi were sealed off and hundreds of armed police and riot troops deployed as news of the victim's death spread.
The Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore said the woman "passed away peacefully" early on Saturday.
Hospital chief executive Kelvin Loh said she had suffered severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain.
Indian PM Mr Singh said he was "very saddened" by the woman's death, and that the angry public reaction was "perfectly understandable".
He called on politicians and the public to set aside "narrow sectional interest" and work together to make India "a demonstrably better and safer place for women to live in".
The woman - a medical student whose identity has not been released - and her friend had been to see a film when they boarded the bus in the Munirka area of Delhi, intending to travel to Dwarka in the south-west of the city.
Police said she was raped for nearly an hour, and both she and her companion were beaten with iron bars, then thrown out of the moving bus into the street.
The assault sparked angry protests about the general conditions for women in India, and about what is seen as an inadequate police response to rape allegations.
Officials have since announced a series of measures intended to make Delhi safer for women.
These include more police night patrols, checks on bus drivers and their assistants, and the banning of buses with tinted windows or curtains.

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