New Delhi, Dec 16: The world on December 17, 2012 woke up to the news of a female physiotherapy intern’s gang rapeon the streets of Delhi in a moving bus. India which till that day was looked as the land of spirituality, was now seen as a country unsafe for the women and not as a country where women were worshipped as a goddess. The victim was given the name Nirbhaya (Fearless) and since then she has been kept alive either through legislation or projects after her name. The incident was widely condemned, both in India and abroad.
On the night of December 16, a 23-year-old woman was beaten, gang raped and tortured in a private bus in which she was travelling with her friend. The incident took place in Munirka, South Delhi. The victim had accepted the ride with her friend after it started getting dark and there were few conveyance options available to her. The perpetrators of the heinous crime threw the young couple on road naked in the winter night was later tossed on the road with an intention of running the bus over her but was pulled aside by her male friend.
As per medical reports, she suffered grave injuries to her abdomen, intestines and genitals and there were numerous bite marks all over her body. She succumbed to her injuries on December 29, 2012.
The heart-wrenching incident ignited anger and protests from all over the world with everyone questioning the security of women in India. It was also the time when the use of tinted glass beyond permissible limits (windscreen and rear windows of vehicles should have a visual light transmission of 70 per cent) on any means of transport had been banned by the Supreme Court. The fact that the private bus, in which the gang rape took place, also had tinted windows raised questions over keeping a close watch on laws being broken.
This all happened in just a few hours time. All the 6 accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. However, all of them denied charges of rape, murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence. Over the time of trial, five were found guilty, while the sixth accused committed suicide in jail.
The convicts:
One of the accused in the case, whose name has not been given as he was a juvenile at the time of the incident, was tried as a minor. In August 2015, he was tried on the charges of rape and murder and was sentenced to three years, the maximum sentence for a juvenile, in a reform facility. He was released on December 20, 2015 and as per the reports, has since been staying in a charity. It is said that he will remain there for the fear of security.
The main suspect Ram Singh, also the first person to be arrested, was found dead on March 2013 in Tihar jail. It was reported that he hanged himself in his cell but his family members claimed that he was murdered.
The younger brother of Ram Singh and the third accused, Mukesh Singh was also charged with rape, murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence. It was reported that it was Mukesh Singh who was driving the bus when the incident took place. He has been sentenced to death for the crime.
Vinay Sharma, the fourth accused, is the only one who had a school education and spoke English. He even sat for his first year university exams last year. He had always denied his presence in the bus when the gang rape took place. However, he too was sentenced to death in court.
Helper on the bus and the fifth accused Akshay Thakur was arrested from Bihar five days after the crime. He was charged with rape, murder and trying to destroy evidence. Akshay Thakur is married and even has a son. Although he had denied being in Delhi on December 16, he was nonetheless convicted.
The sixth accused Pawan Gupta had earlier claimed that he was not in the bus on the night of December 16 but was at a music function. However, in the days after his arrest he said in court he had done a bad thing and he should be hanged. He too has been sentenced to death.
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