News / Asia

Indian Rape Victim Cremated

Policemen stand guard outside the cremation ground during the funeral of a rape victim after her body arrived from Singapore, in New Delhi, December 30, 2012.
Policemen stand guard outside the cremation ground during the funeral of a rape victim after her body arrived from Singapore, in New Delhi, December 30, 2012.
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VOA News
The body of the woman whose gang rape has triggered an outpouring of grief and anger across India has been cremated in a private ceremony.  

The young woman's body was flown home from Singapore after her death Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, were at the airport to receive the body early Sunday and to meet the victim's family.

The 23-year-old unidentified woman died of severe organ failure in a Singapore hospital after suffering internal injuries and brain damage in the attack.    

Indian authorities have charged six men with murder.  Police say the men could face the death penalty if convicted.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered his condolences to the woman's family.

He said  in a statement "violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated."

  • Sand artist Raj Kapoor holds a candle near a sculpture at the Sangam to pay tribute to a gang rape victim who died early Saturday, in Allahabad, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • An Indian ties a black band as he arrives to attend a gathering to mourn the death of a 23-year-old gang rape victim, in Mumbai, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • An Indian woman shouts at a police officer during a gathering of people to mourn the death of the 23-year-old gang rape victim in Mumbai, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • Indian women participate in a candle-lit vigil in New Delhi to mourn the death of a gang rape victim, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest in New Delhi, December 29, 2012.
  • Indian men and women lie down on the ground mimicking dead bodies as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • Indians gather next to a makeshift memorial to mourn the death of a 23-year-old gang rape victim, in Bangalore, India , Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • A man participates in a candle-lit vigil to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • An Indian woman holds a placard as she joins others in a protest to mourn the death of the 23-year-old gang rape victim, in Bangalore, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • People walk near a sand sculpture with the words "We Want Justice" created by Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, in solidarity with a gang rape victim who was assaulted in New Delhi, on a beach in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, December 29, 2012.
  • Indian women participate in a candle-lit vigil to mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.
  • A girl holds a placard as she takes part in a protest rally in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, December 29, 2012.

Candlelight vigils have been held in New Delhi and many cities across India.  The protesters demanded justice for the victim and safety for women.

New Delhi has been rocked by mass protests since the woman was attacked December 16.

The outcry over the attack caught the Indian government off-guard.  It took a week for Prime Minister Singh to make a statement on the case, infuriating many protesters.

The woman is reported to have accepted a ride with a male companion on a charter bus in New Delhi where the six men on board beat them both with an iron rod.  The woman was raped repeatedly.  Reports say the rod was used in the rape.  The woman and her friend were then thrown from the moving vehicle.

The male friend survived the attack. 

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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by: X from: Y
December 30, 2012 10:33 AM
Delhi is the Rape Capital of Ind.Nothing will ever change there.The biggest criminals politicians!