In this photograph taken on December 16, 2012, Indian activists listen to a speech outside Delhi's chief minister residence during a protest in New Delhi, following the gang-rape of a student on December 16. PHOTO: AFP
Authorities in India have been preparing for the possibility her death could ignite more protests after riot police were deployed on the capital's streets in the wake of the attack amid simmering anger at the daily dangers women face.
The 23-year-old was airlifted to Singapore on Thursday after she was attacked by six men on a bus in New Delhi on December 16, and hit with an iron bar. Some Indian medics had criticised the decision to move her.
"We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 am (2045 GMT) on 29 Dec 2012," Kelvin Loh, the chief executive of Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital, said in a statement.
"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."
She had remained in an extremely critical condition since being admitted to the hospital, Loh said, with doctors mounting a last-ditch battle overnight to save her life.
"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.
"We are humbled by the privilege of being tasked to care for her in her final struggle."
The victim was treated in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital after the attack.
The decision to fly her out of the country by air ambulance was taken at a meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet on Wednesday and the government had promised to pay all her medical bills.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the government's only concern was to ensure the victim received "the best treatment possible".
But Indian newspapers suggested the authorities, who have struggled to contain the nationwide protests over the attack, were keen to have her transferred out of the country.
An unnamed doctor who was part of a team of experts consulted about the transfer told The Hindu newspaper they had only been asked whether it was safe to move her and not whether it was the best course of action.
"The question was not whether there were any deficiencies in treatment that would be met by moving her... She was being given the best possible care," the doctor was quoted as saying.
Samiran Nundy, chairman of the organ transplant and gastro-surgery department of Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told the paper the transfer made little sense.
"I just can't understand why a critically ill patient with infection in blood and body, high grade fever and on the ventilator is being transferred," he said.
Singh has ordered an official inquiry into the gang-rape and new laws to protect women as well as stiffer penalties for the worst sex crimes.
The government has also announced plans to post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to publicly shame them. The campaign will begin in Delhi, which has been dubbed India's "rape capital".
Shinde also said Delhi police would soon launch a drive to recruit more female officers as a confidence-building measure.
India was rocked by a wave of protests in the week after the attack, prompting authorities to seal off large parts of the capital and to deploy riot police with water cannons tear gas.
The Delhi gang-rape has shone the spotlight on a crime that occurs on a daily basis in India, with most such assaults taking place in rural areas.
COMMENTS (57)
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Shame to be an Indian, Thank god she died after Fighting so badly or else she couldn't see herself and wouldn't believe that those beast had done such thing, then they are not getting punished still, inspite knowing that she has done nothing but paid her life for this brutally and shame crime.
I know the government won't be taking any strict action beacuse if they had to take they would have taken earlier but its been two weeks government still thinking. Shame very Big shame!!!!!!!
@K B Kale:
Seems like it has taken her over a week to "balance" her comments without much success. Say hello to her when you see her for me.
@John the Baptist: Pakistan is heaven for women .....its switzerland of southasia mere baap...where r you comparing third world country like india.............
@John the Baptist: We don't know each other and are in contact only thro' our comments on Tribune. GP65 is not only one of the prolific commentator here but her comments are also very balanced and of high quality.
This incident is an eye opening and wake up call to amend weak justice / law system of the Country or we can say for whole south asian continent where we experience cases pending for ages without justice. I was watching one of the indian channels yesterday, glad to see anchorperson / columnist bashing politicians left right center forward for amendment in weak laws.
@vaishu: @vaishnavi: you are right. even president's son abijit mukherjee made his support to rapists and hatred against those who protesting indirectly shamelessly.
Not surprising. In survey after survey, India has been found to be the worst place for a woman to live ( yes, even worse than Pakistan, the punching bag)!!! See link below and google it to learn more. There is something really crooks in the Hindu religion and customs against women. Period.
I wish peace for her departed soul and some closure for the family. Truly shocking and awful.
http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/2012/06/13/shining-india-worst-place-in-the-world-for-women-to-live-poll/#.UN96h5EgGSM
@K B Kale:
Well said and I feel your pain. No word from your friend, the ever so prolific gp65, on this toic today?
@Shahzad: The girl and her male friend were the only passengers on the bus at that time...the six accused were in a group with the driver amongst them.
totally there are 369 mp,mla n other political leaders all over india facing women harassment and rape case and we expect justice from them that's more worst then anything...... there were meaningless talks about female dressing sense and other things in media as i know almost 2 year back 1 and half an year baby was raped by neighbour in our state and i dont understand how worst can be that babies dress to provoke male..... its not dress or anything it shows there mental stability and the moral values which they get from there family...... unless and until its purely considered as crime against humanity cant find justice.... we dont need political game or blaming others we want justice
This is both sad and disturbing.
totally there are 369 mp,mla n other political leaders all over india facing women harassment and rape case and we expect justice from them that's more worst then anything...... there were meaningless talks about female dressing sense and other things in media as i know almost 2 year back 1 and half an year baby was raped by neighbour in our state and i dont understand how worst can be that babies dress to provoke male..... its not dress or anything it shows there mental stability and the moral values which they get from there family...... unless and until its purely considered as crime against humanity cant find justice.... we dont need political game or blaming others we want justice
@Shahjad:There was no passenger in the bus except the two....It was 10 pm night....They mistakenly took the bus as public transport...Bus was privately owned and used for school....Culprits drank and joyriding after duty....And the whole incident did happen...
I respect the feelings of all pakistanis who r advocating saudi arabia like punishment ie. beheading ,stone to death etc.But that is not how a liberal civilized society should be.Yes we r demanding death penalty for all the accused .But our whole fight is about to fast track court procedures so that culprit would be penalized strictly for committing rape crime and obvious death penalty in the case of rarest of rarest case(like what happened to the girl),within a month or two.There is no reason to behead someone for simple rape crime.10 yrs of jail with torture punishment will create enough fear in the mind of people to commit further heinous crime like molestation,rape,sexual assault on women .
its bollywood culture...movies have spoiled the society. rapist should get death same like in Saudi Arabia & Iran...where you will not find these crimes....Law should be like a Lion who could tear and eat these evil peolpe in our society.
If India started hanging people for rape and other heinous crimes, there would be a long line of our parliamentarians in front of the gallows. The number of Indian MPs with criminal charges are 150, of which 72 (13.5%) face serious criminal charges including rape. Reference : 1 , 2.
It's really a very sad and tormenting time for the family of victim and everyone who prayed for her well being. I can only pray that Almighty Allah gives enough strength and patience to them at this stage. I don't say that situation in Pakistan is any better. To tell you the truth, one of my own maternal aunts have got no child beside her only daughter and she doesn't let her go alone with even any of their close male relatives such as her(aunt's) own brother-in-laws. That's the level of overprotection displayed by her and she does have a justification for such an approach and such are the initiatives implemented by various other mothers too, the reason is their fear after hearing about several incidents of rape and child molestation all over Pakistan. And I wouldn't like to interfere in India's internal and legal system, but I don't know why they are politicizing the issue. Somewhere I read that the rapists are being saved from death penalties as a result of public outrage since it will affect many other cases too where influential ministers, tycoons or their relatives etc....are the culprits. Even Rahul Gandhi or some other ministers of Congress are also indulged in rape cases. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong. Several Bollywood celebrities have also shared their feelings on social networks.
@Cynical
Modi is not a bachelor. He left his teacher wife, a long time ago.
Modi is infact a bad husband. For someone who claims to be a flag-bearer of Hinduism, he abandoned his wife.
Nonetheless, for his brave stance against corruption and supporting progress, I would vote for him as the PM.
If not for Modi, BJP is worse than congress.
Deport the rapists to Taliban. They give give death penalty to rapists.
@Raj - USA: Is there not one Bhagat Singh in Delhi who can take on at least one person who is providing strength and support to these criminals? Yes, there is. All he needs to do is to catch the flight back.
What on earth were other pssengers doing on that bus .. were these 6 &*%tards heavy on the rest of the crowd? :-@ why not riot and protest at that time when it could save her life!! Bullox!!! :-/
"Mrityum maam amritam gamaya"! (Lead me) From Death to Eternal Life! Our hearts are numb with grief!
@Arijit Sharma
'Time to disband the Congress Party.'
And also install Modi at the Red Fort. Once that is done, no Indian, female or male will ever be raped. NM is a bachelor.
I had been following this case from day one and praying for this girl. Its a sad day indeed. Tragic & heartbreaking news! Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the poor girl and to the people of India in general. Let her death not be in vane.. Rest in Peace angel
Hope this very sad unfortunate incident will be an eye opener for the rest of the world.The culprits must be tortured for many days until they have enough energy to be executed.Why hang them because they will die in less than two minutes ??? They have to go through the sane pain as our sister went through.God curse their souls.
a singh canada
@Women rights in islam: ".Now,Conclusion,,, Islamic Law is the best Law which will not only protect women but reduces the other criminals activities also….."
Yes, Exactly!!! If you want any proof just take the case study of Pakistan ........
I am really ashamed of being a man.. Ain't we humans worst than wild animals?????yh I think we are... May that poor soul Rest in peace....
why don't you guys mourn for our victims when anything bad happens in Pakistan? Instead you guys bash Pakistan & be disrespectful to the victims!!! Now look what is happening in the CAPITAL OF INDIA !!! it is known as rape capital even in India & your Govt can't even protect women in its capital then things must be awful in other parts of the country !!! If this had happened in KSA the culprits would have been executed in public within a month. May her soul rest in peace & culprits be hanged ASAP.
I am so outraged and don't know what to write. Is there not one Bhagat Singh in Delhi who can take on at least one person who is providing strength and support to these criminals? I agree with Yoghurt lover that even if the girl had survived she would have been crippled mentally and physically for the rest of her life and god was merciful to take her in his abode.
@Women rights in islam: That's is a big leap of logic to go from reading about rapes in India to concluding that Islamic law somehow provides adequate protection to women. I think the reality is quite the opposite. Perhaps you have no idea how badly women are treated in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the rest of the middle east, and not to forget our own country, Pakistan.
"Justice delayed, is Justice denied." The judicial system must now rely on available 'prima facie' physical evidence of the crime and not wait for witnesses and testimonies. Since, the criminals are already in custody, three days is more than enough for the trial. The injuries will be sufficient to do justice by hanging until dead. This crime is too horrific and unbearable to read. May she rest in Paradise.
@Yoghurt lover: Will you stop writing your craps...seems like you r extremely insensitive....
@Women rights in islam: Bring your Islamic ranting elsewhere. This place is for genuine mourning..whole world knows about the women's rights in Muslim majority countries..
@Women rights in islam
Its not about comparing rape cases in countries or laws of the religions. No religion allows such a heinous act. Such acts should be condemned and action to be taken against criminals wherever they tke place. And for your information, even women personnel in US army have reported rape by senior officials. Please dont speak like the ignorant mullahs.
PS: I;m a practicing muslim and Pakistani if you are thinking of criticizing me on not being one of the two and giving such statements
New Delhi should be designated as "Rape Capital" of the world. with so many incidents happening there every week.
It is a SHAME for both the Central & State leadership at Delhi. Yes there will be protests in Delhi by common people in spite of the obstructions put by the Government. RAPISTS SHOULD ME MADE IMPOTENT FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!!!
This case has parallels to that of Malala. Malala was shot for standing up for Women's rights. Delhi Rape Victim was killed for exercising her right to live & move around!
The venom of society against Women in general in both countries are so vicious. Most of the rape victims are made to suffer for no mistake of theirs. Women are treated as second class citizens with restrictions on what they can do, when they can do it. They are given strict dress codes, they are assumed to be properties of men. The honor - mostly applies to only the acts of (or on) women!
Unless our society's approach to women changes, we don't deserve to be called civilized. So ashamed today of such misogyny in India, that I don't even know what to tell my daughters about this incident.
Hang em alll....
"the government had promised to pay all her medical bills"
And I thought government would already be paying her medical bills.
@Pessimist:
I hope one day us Pakistanis can also display public outrage over these incidents rather than protesting against silly YouTube films etc…
" That outrage burst on the film was worldwide and i thoroughly disagree with you labeling it "Silly". Peaceful protest should have been there to register the voice & the sensitivity of this issue. Unfortunately we have chaos and sadly its consider to be a part of our culture these days."
The gang rape incident of Delhi is no doubt an unfortunate happening wherein the culprits should not under any circumstances be spared from the law and should be awarded the most stringent punishment under the law. Life imprisonment or death penalty will off course be decided by judiciary after having gone through the merits of this case. During the course of this trial as always does happen various aspects involving a substantial point of law will come up and the required debate or discussion or arguments in the court shall take place and then the final verdict shall be delivered. Indeed protection of women in the nation is most vital and one cannot simply confine it to the national capital of the country. The unrest in Delhi is no doubt an anger or the people against this dastardly incident however the blame game that has started needs to be put an end to. The Chief Minister of Delhi is passing on the responsibility to the Police Commissioner of Delhi Police and the Delhi police is trying to safeguard their bruised image as a department. The moral responsibility of this incident goes to both the State Government of Delhi as well as the Delhi Police and being the national capital of India even to an extent to the Central Government. Although the moral responsibility lies on the state government of Delhi but action like transfer of the Delhi Police Commissioner or the Chief Minister of Delhi being asked to step down would be a simple populist sop to calm down the agitators but, is a rather sharp practice being followed as it will really not resolve the problem that pertains to the safety of women in Delhi as well as in the country. The laws have to be made more stringent and police reforms are essential and need to be implemented. There have been logistic constraints faced by the Delhi Police which need to be understood in the appropriate perspective and also there are administrative constraints that the Delhi State Government or for that matter any state government faces and has to function with those constraints. VIP security is a major reason behind Delhi Police being unable to perform their best as a security agency within the union territory and this aspect requires to be looked into with seriousness and sincerity and remedial measures need to be taken. Secondly the game of passing on the buck which is a usual practice must stop and people must learn to act more mature and responsible and so must the Indian media. Rapes and crimes against women that include human trafficking, sexual harassment at work places, eve teasing, dowry harassment and dowry deaths, honour killings, female foeticide etc are the other forms of crimes being committed in the Indian society and need to be checked and firmly dealt with. In addition sexual exploitation of women at the work place goes on unabated and in many instances women allow a leeway in order to get a good increment or promotion in their job or are financially too weak to resist to such advances. The problem is rather serious but has perhaps never got the desired attention from the government. There is therefore a need to enact stringent laws to check crimes against women. However an essential deterrent needed is to ensure that the laws are not misused at any point of time to harass men or to be used as a tool for blackmail. Besides India the subject of women concerns the entire globe but in most international summits the issue remains dormant or is given the lowest priority. I request your kind self to ensure that this issue of crime against women; which is happening not just in India but in many other nations of South Asia and the world; is discussed during these international summits. The Non-Aligned Group of nations (NAM), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Association of East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Commonwealth of Nations (CWN) are the forums where problems regarding women and crimes committed against them should be discussed and the other nations too must work on similar lines to check crimes against the women in their country. Critics may argue with their own views and come forwards with their expert opinions but facts will and shall always remain facts. Safety of women is essential but change of a Police Commissioner or Chief Minister is no solution.
May god bless her eternal soul, she was a shaheed.... She inspired millions of people to stop sitting at the place and take up the streets...
Today is a Black Letter day for India. May the poor daughter of all Indian's soul rest in peace. The mandatory punishment for perpetrators of a heinous crime such as rape should be chemical castration as it would be worse than death penalty or life sentence.
Time to disband the Congress Party.
As an Indian male, I hang my head in shame that a few of us could treat a defenceless member of a weaker sex so brutally, as if they had no mother! The brave girl fought death very gallantly like our Zansi ki Rani fought the Brits. So far she has been correctly kept nameless. If her family agrees, her name should be made public because she has done nothing to be ashamed of. To the contrary she has become an icon of Indian woman's fighting spirit. I request our government also to bestow a suitable honour on her.
@Pessimist who writes "I see there are a lot of protests against this incident in India, I hope one day us Pakistanis can also display public outrage over these incidents rather than protesting against silly YouTube films etc"
That's extreme optimism for someone named pessimist.
Any country that garlands a murderer who murdered someone who stood for justice, cannot hope for a bright future. If you are hoping, then you are extreme optimist. Good luck.
Also, don't misunderstand India. Indian protests are as hypocritical as any. These hypocritical Indians who are protesting, are doing so because the rape happened in a middle-class, upper-middle class neighborhood in Delhi and the victim survived to tell the horror she went through.
Otherwise rapes are as common in India as gun violence in Pakistan. And the horror this woman went through is nothing compared to other rape/murder cases. Nobody cares. These middle class protesters are the worst. They wake up only when their daughters/wives/sisters are at risk.
They don't care a hoot about the poor of India.
Just like the Anna Hazare protests. The same cowardly, hypocritical middle-class which thrives by evading tax, unethical business practices, paying/receiving bribes are the the ones who sat at Jantar Mantar, wearing jeans and t-shirts.
If Pakistan is a country of 180 million failed people, India is a country of 1.2 billion hypocrites and cowards.
Thank god she died!
How can anyone bear such pain and sufferings?
Also, now the criminals can be tried for murder and not attempted murder.
The spineless congress government, did exactly with this girl, what Pakistan did with Malala. Shameless government. A total failure in all respect.
Really very sad. It doesn't matter if you are Indian or Pakistani, it hurts when someone goes through such pain. I couldn't even tell my wife what this girl went through as its just very unimaginable. I was very happy to see the public outrage and I wish it continues until they make serious changes about their system. It seems like their law and order situation is just the same as our country. Please hang all the culprits.
Rest in peace dear angel
RIP very sad, hope now all culprits will be sentenced to death soon.!!!
My heart is equally sad for this calamity and the loss of her life as humanity has no borders. I do not think that the culprits have legitimate right to be treated like humans, but we are bound, legally! Having known the fact that such kind of incidents can never be "fully overcome", I wish, at least, we had an effective and efficient mechanism to sentence those who are found guilty for committing such brutal acts. Unfortunately, we, most South Asians, face similar problems of lawlessness and the worst procedural laws in our countries, which we inherited from the colonials and we have been unable to improve the situation. With no surprise our priorities are different, we are very much fond of pursuing our "strategic national interests" and equipping our armouries with state of the art warheads. I wish we could redirect our energies in the right direction to protect our peoples from lawlessness, poverty, malnutrition etc. I hope the Indian courts punish these outlaws at their earliest!
This is a sad incident. It doesn't matter whether you're a Pakistani or an Indian, a Muslim or a Hindu, violence against women is always a deplorable crime. I see there are a lot of protests against this incident in India, I hope one day us Pakistanis can also display public outrage over these incidents rather than protesting against silly YouTube films etc...
The rapists need to be executed in a similar style, by law, to what she had to go through during the rape .It maybe a little unorthodox but 'a 'eye for an eye' method is needed to prevent these heinous crimes in the future. May you rest in peace
I would be happy if protests are held in Delhi in an unprecedented scale. All those who are trying to provide cover to the culprits, be they political leaders, gangsters or law enforcement personnel, should be targeted.