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Subscribe to RSSNEW DELHI - The trial of five men charged with gang-raping and murdering a young woman on a bus in New Delhi opened on Tuesday with closed-door testimony from her male friend who appeared at court in a wheelchair, still bearing the scars of injuries from the attack.
Anindito Mukherjee / EPA
A Delhi police van arrives at the Delhi Saket court in New Delhi, India, Tuesday.
The 28-year-old software engineer, who may not be identified, is the prosecution's star witness in a case that has triggered nationwide protests, an intense debate about rampant crime against women in India and tougher anti-rape laws.
The five accused are Vinay Sharma, a gym assistant, Ram Singh, the bus driver, his brother Mukesh Singh, bus cleaner Akshay Kumar Singh and fruit vendor Pawan Kumar.
They have pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and murder. A sixth accused is being tried separately as a juvenile.
Police allege the six attacked the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist and her friend on the bus as the couple returned home from watching a movie on Dec. 16.
The woman was repeatedly raped and tortured with a metal bar. The couple were also severely beaten before being thrown onto a road.
The woman died of internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later.
Victim's father: Hang them
As the trial got under way, the victim's father made a surprise appearance at a news conference organized by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to call for his daughter's attackers to be hanged.
At one stage, the friend, defense lawyers and some policemen moved from the courtroom to a courtyard where the bus on which police say the attack took place was parked.
Journalists saw some of them board the vehicle, which was white with tinted windows and orange curtains. Above the windshield was painted "Praise the Goddess" in Hindi.
The victim's friend was not seen boarding the bus. The friend's father said later it was the second time his son had seen the bus since the attack.
Indian authorities have filed rape and murder charges against five men accused of the gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus. ITN's Geraint Vincent reports.
In his statement to police after the assault, the friend said their attackers had asked "where are you going with a girl so late at night?" before launching a furious assault in which he was beaten with a metal rod and his clothes ripped off.
While he was being beaten, the woman was repeatedly raped, he said, according to a police charge sheet seen by Reuters.
The prosecution says articles stolen from the couple, including their cellphones, rings and debit cards were found in raids conducted on the homes of the accused. DNA evidence and bloodstained clothes also form part of their case.
Defense lawyers say they will highlight what they say are discrepancies in the account given by the victim's friend.
The five men are being tried in a special fast-track court opposite the shopping mall where the victim and her friend went to watch the film "Life of Pi" before boarding the bus.
About 30 policemen were deployed outside the courtroom on Tuesday as the five accused arrived wearing scarves or handkerchiefs to mask their faces.
Related:
Indian cabinet moves to toughen laws on rape, crimes against women
Video: Father of rape victim speaks about her dreams, final days
Attorney in gang rape case blames victim
Leave a Comment:
Can someone explain how this can happen? What sort of thinking/belief system/cultural norm could possibly allow for six men to commit this atrocity? I know rape is more about power than sex, but what goes through minds that attack with no real motive? I also think of the Egyptian assault on the 60 Minutes reporter. Maybe there is no enlightment, just evil.
Women are raped and attacked all over the world. Many places don't even criminalize it or rarely enforce the weak existing laws. Social media and world wide connectivity are forcing governments to take action, this is one of those cases. If this story hadn't gone viral and caused world wide outrage, the 6 accused men would be sitting at their homes laughing about what they did.
They won't be hanging around for long after the trial I imagine...
That's conservative values for you. Keep women scared and in the stone age.
what happened here was horrible. but just as horrible is the 9 year girl child who just gave birth to a baby in china, the nine year old child who gave birth to a baby last year by c section and the automatic genitial mutiliation of girls in africian tribes, the systematic and long held practice of killing female babies because a girl in indian culture costs so much in dowry to marry off. there are things all over the world that we, as civilaized societies allow actively and passively, things that are ushered under the protective umbrella of 'it's their culture' or 'it's what they've done for years.' respecting any society that demoralizes a female child and seeks to molest, maim or kill that child as part of its inherant culture SHOULD BE AVOIDED by the US. not only am i tired of wading thru the accent and idiotic script the indian customer service people read to whenever i call my cell phone provider, amazon or many of the us companies who send their customer service work to India, but if money talks, then let our companies here take a stand and pull their customer service work away India, whose treatment of girls is sub par to what base human rights are here. If they want to host our business, they need to make a stand on this case and show they are serious about respecting girls and the women they grow up to be. this woman wasnt just raped by 6 cowards, she was raped by a lead pipe, to which caused her intestines and organs to come out of her body. she was dumped naked to die. they never for a second thought she would live or that her companion would be telling the story in court today. and the ringleader? he was a bus driver of children during the day. the juvinille needs to be tried as an adult and all of these men need to hang
Though i agree with you thoughts on cowards, I think your rant went a little far. The correct term is undocumented worker. A person cannot be illegal. Also, I would not lump a person trying to survive and give opportunities to their children, and a person steeling millions (billions) for personal greed or raping/murdering/assaulting some one, into the same category. Not sure how much epidemic mortgage fraud there actually was. The mortgage collapse was more due to bad regulations, stupid advise and greedy people who did not do their homework than criminal intent.
"They have pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and murder." I just don't get it.
Is the country, India, out of the Earth?
These monsters used a metal bar to cause the internal injuries that resulted in her death after raping her.
They deserve to die. No 'defense' can excuse this atrocious crime.
Until women are respected around the world and given the power to determine their own lives, this will continue to happen. Even in this country, the rape victim is ALWAYS the one on trial! One by one, women's reproductive rights are being taken away or infringed on IN THIS COUNTRY!! What hope do women around the world have when they see the rights of American women go backwards? This world would not be in existence without women! Women make up more than half of the world's population! It's time we demand the power. The time for asking is over.
seriously jeffor? What about this article talked about conservatives? Don't use this violent act to fuel your vendetta against conservatives. Personally I'm not a conservative (as i don't identify myself politically). These tragedies aren't about what political ideals you uphold. Its about stopping atrocities. There are many conservatives out there who i think would be just as appalled by this.
Cultural aspects, if there even are any, have little or nothing to do with this incident. It is a bunch of thugs acting out their aggression on two people to the extent that the woman was ultimately mauled to death. Would be the same if it happend in Egypt, China or Brooklyn. Now if this happened in Afghanistan, where the thugs there claim religious motives for their purely criminal attacks on people and places, I might agree there might be a cultural bias...but Islamic extremists are self-legimitized criminals who have nothing better to do with their existence than commit crimes then say it was justified by Islam.
Cultural aspects, if there even are any, have little or nothing to do with this incident. It is a bunch of thugs acting out their aggression on two people to the extent that the woman was ultimately mauled to death. Would be the same if it happend in Egypt, China or Brooklyn. Now if this happened in Afghanistan, where the thugs there claim religious motives for their purely criminal attacks on people and places, I might agree there might be a cultural bias...but Islamic extremists are self-legimitized criminals who have nothing better to do with their existence than commit crimes then say it was justified by Islam.
There are monsters in this world. There are monsters in every country, every state, every city. These men did something that most human beings can't comprehend. Unfortunately they live in a country where rape is a common occurance and often goes unpunished. I'm glad that this crime has gotten the attention that it has because there is a chance that justice might happen. There is a chance that these men will die for what they did (they deserve no less... in fact they deserve to suffer much more than what they will). If it weren't for the pure outrage of other countries and the circulation of this horrendous account there is a good chance that these monsters would have received a slap on the wrist. Most days I hate the media, but thank god for the good they can do in situations like this. I hope this story stays alive until every single one of the attackers are dead. If they don't receive the death penalty I hope they are followed and the remainder of their lives on this earth are a living hell. They deserve worse than is possible. There is no redemption for this kind of filth.
Disgusting, filthy pigs! Hope they hang from the highest post in the most populated corner of town! And while you're at it, cut their stuff off!
2BTrue,
Illegal is definitely the right word. They are here illegally. It is not illegal person, but illegal alien meaning from a different country. And yes, alien is used for things other than people as you can have an alien business in the US. They dont all work, so I wouldnt call them undocumented worker. And what do you call leeching off of our resources besides stealing? Sorry, you can try to paint it a pretty picture and make them out to be victims, but they are illegal aliens.
Also, the mortgage collapse was because banks were forced to give loans to people who could not afford them, which was mandated by Clinton. If that is what you meant by bad regulations, stupid advise and greedy people, then you are correct.
I dont think these guys are gunna get off. People want to see them hanged, and I think that will be the outcome for the ones who didnt take the plea bargain.
THERESA-532036,
Stop with your ignorant feminist rage. What rights are being taken away from you right now. Hell, everyone has to pay for your birth control now. Not to mention rape victims are questioned because they mostly devolve into he said she said, and to send someone to prison, you have to be certain beyond a reasonable doubt. Other women are not going to follow your battle cry, because they are not as clueless as yourself.
MrBurns, Spoken like a true part of the problem!! My feminist rage is jusitfied! How many times have you been raped? How many times have you had your character challenged because you had sex with someone? How many times have you been denied your rights because you were a man? NEVER!! You do not now, nor have you ever paid for my birth control!! You don't pay for anyones birth control!! In this country, the right wing has done everything in it's power to take away a woman's right to a legal abortion!! They take away the doctors ability to practice, they take away a clinics right to operate! How would you feel if you went to the doctor and he said, sorry, no more Viagra for you!! No more prostate exams for you! Because I don't believe you deserve it!? Your argument is as ignorant as you appear to be!! Which is pretty ignorant!
Theresa, you are the problem in making everything your imaginary battle, while being completely ignorant on everything that you speak of.
Let me help you out dear since you apparently do not comprehend things too well.
How many times have you been raped? Same question to you. Zero, however, if you actually took the time to research, you would know that if you include prison rape, men are sexually assaulted more than women in the US (making it the first country in the world to be so).
How many times have you had your character challenged? Same question to you, and the answer for me is a few times believe it or not. We tend to get flake from other women for it.
How many times have you been denied your rights because you were a man? Never, and Im almost certain the answer is the same for you. Yet millions of men every year are denied their parental rights because they are men, so I would say that it does happen far more often than you mind will allow you to believe.
Actually yes we do pay for your birth control. I was an econ major in college and worked in the insurance industry, so I know a bit more about this than your anger fueled self. The law requires the health insurance to cover the birth control. But you will notice that most experts are showing that the cost of insurance is going to go up. That is because companies never just eat the costs. They pass them on. So while I dont pay you directly to buy your birth control, my costs will go up so you can get your birth control.
I understand your angry and brain washed, but they havent taken away doctor's ability to practice, nor have any of your rights been taken away. Name examples please miss.
I dont take viagra, nor have I had an exam. But neither are a good counter example to birth control or abortion. You see, if you knew what health insurance was about, you would know that its for medical emergencies that you cannot afford. How would birth control qualify. Viagra is for a medical condition that affects people (men) that is why it is covered. Birth control is not a medical condition, and if you do need it for something medically necessary (as I do know birth control has other functions) then it is in fact covered by insurance. So it already had the same status as viagra when it came to insurance. Abortion is a surgery, prostate exam is an exam. One involves 2 lives, the other just one. And health to the mother always allows an abortion, so again, you do not draw a good parallel.
Please educate yourself next time you try to call someone ignorant. And as an FYI, I have nothing against feminists in general. I dont care how many guys a girl sleeps with since its not my business. Im all for birth control, and in most cases Im for abortion. What Im not for is some angry ignorant woman making all feminists look stupid and man hating.
Your ignorance is immeasurable. Fox talking points. The subject is women's rights and yes, the states of Mississippi and Alabama, along with Texas have made it virtually impossible to get an abortion in those states! Where your head is I don't know, but obviously NOT with current events. Rape of a woman, I believe is quite different than a man being raped in prison. Rape is still rape. However, women are put on trial in most cases, NOT the criminal! You do not pay for birth control anymore than I pay for your Viagra! We all put into an insurance pool, a tax pool, a research pool and so on. My money helps you and your money is supposed to help me. Viagra is used for erections, period. You can call it what you want, but that is what it's for. Getting pregnant IS a medical condition, therefore, BIRTH CONTROL is a solution to prevent a medical condition from happening. ABORTION is a Constitutionally protected right, BUT people like you seem to think you have the right to take it away! You are the problem. People who think like you have small minds and even less heart. Your ignorance is directly related to misinformation. I am a woman. I do know what it is like to be attacked. I do know what it is like to have a child. I do know what it is like to be discriminated against, FIRST HAND! You have no clue. Never will. Good luck with your self education, news flash, It's not working!
Hope the guilty get what they have coming. Hang 'em high!
This is still not as bad as the worst crime I've ever heard of. Google "Channon Christian" and read about the days-long rape and torture she and her boyfriend endured after a carjacking in Knoxville TN at the hands of multiple men. Absolutely the most horrible modern-day crime ever committed. I have no idea why a crime in India received more attention in the US media than her story.
Really!!!.. You got to be kidding, come on,,is not about who gets more attention you #%#@$*,
the woman was not just gang raped but beaten with the pipe and raped with the pipe, causing her intestines and organs to come out of her body. she was dumped to die. these men never thought she would live or her companion to live and be testifing today. any crime of this level and the one you refer to are not tolerable by a civilized society.there is no quantitive 'this' rape was worse than 'that' rape. to care about these cases at all is to be thankful coverage is granted and that people are angry and insisting on change. These crimes against women and all crimes against children need to be dealt with swiftly and succinctly NOW by all nations. there is no civilazed society that ushers the practice of genitial multilation [africia] child mothers [china and world tribes] girl baby killings [india to avoid the expense of dowry] under its culture that we--as a united people on the treatment of children and women--should be doing biz with. get U.S. companies customer service outsourcing OUT of india and all other nations where child molestation, maiming and death are protected cultureal standards and lets be a leader in raising the bar on base human rights so many women and children lack around the world.
It is about who gets more attention in the press Gisela...it's swept under the rug in this country routinely because it offends our senses and after all we are better here in the USA, we have civilized people here. The truth is we don't want to know that the entire football team and many other sicko's carried an unconscious 16 year old girl from place to place raping her repeatedly. We want to focus our attention on India, half a world away so we don't have to look at our own crap...in my opinion
If you morons took 30 seconds to actually look up the case I was referring to, instead of stretching every way you can to find some way to be offended by what I wrote, you would understand.
Lucinda - It didn't get the media coverage because of the race of the attackers.
To "childprotection":
You are incorrect.
Crime is not a "culturally protected norm" in India.
Rape is not a "culturally protected norm" in India.
Indian law is based on English law.
If you don't like Indian law, you wouldn't like jolly ole England.
Why do you think the criminals are being brought to trial?
At least this woman won't have to take the witness stand & prove she didn't "ask for it". If the prosecutor's smart, he'll make it all about the murder. If the defendants are stupid enough to bring the rape into it, they'll almost certainly guarantee their own convicition, & maximum penalty.
So far they haven't done anything intelligent, so this is a forgone conclusion.
hang these animals. Horrendous crimes like this are not unique to India as a very similiar thing happened in Memphis, Tenn some years ago. 6 animals attacked, raped and killed a couple of teenagers. Only hope their justice system isn't as corrupt as ours and they are dealt with severely and timely.
Are those Memphis teens the ones who were later proved to be innocent? Yes, the system is corrupt.
Oh, & we're not supposed to have to prove our innocence, we're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.
But that would infringe on our gotta get revenge no matter what mentality. What does being innocent have to do with anything?
. . I'm sorry but I feel hanging is too fast. They need to suffer some of what they did to her....to know the fear - the pain
my bad it was knoxville as per Smeado comments.
Yes it was. And they were found guilty. I believe two of them received the death penalty. My point was that it should've received more national news attention as far less heinous crimes do. But I believe the media was protecting the perpetrators because of their race.
It sounds like the prosecution has a pretty tight case! On a side note, capital punishment in India is hanging. However it's not the kind of hanging seen in the old west films with the trap door on the gallows or the noose placed strategically around the neck so as to cause the neck to break to end life quickly.
No, they just throw a rope around the neck and lift the condemned with a crane!! Death is by slow strangulation!!
Smeado, really? This article is current events. The crime in which you speak happened almost six years ago. Don't make this into a race issue.
When these 5 rot bags are convicted, and they will be convicted, I hope they take them directly to the gallows and let these perverts become what they already think they are - swingers!!! And I hope they mis tie the rope and it doesn't break the neck but rather lets the person hang until they lose consciousness after suffering and squirming at the end of the rope. I understand that mis tying the rope causes such terrible pain it is unbearable. PERFECT!
Those countries where this kind of abuse is allowed to take place under the nose of the law are going to be held accountable at the very least economically!
My tourist dollars and all other purchases made by me shall not be spent in India, Egypt, or any other country operating that way.
Further I will not vote for any US Candidate for elected office who plans to vote for foreign aid to such countries.
This kind of abuse to the helpless must stop.
1) There are 1.3 BILLION people in India. Here we have 6 rapists. 1,2,3,4,5,6...
Even if you add up all the criminals in India, it would be a tiny, tiny, fraction of the total.
2) To understand this, you need to understand basic math.
3) Indian law is based on English law.
4) Women have equal rights in India.
Women have equal rights in inheritance, education, and employment. Women have equal rights under the law.
5) If you are the type of person who would judge an entire nation by the actions of six criminals --
you should stay in your own backyard.
6) By your logic---YOU are exactly the same as the Newtown shooter, and every other crazy criminal
in the USA. Look around. Read a paper. There is rape, murder, and worse, every day in the good 'ole
USA.
What happened was reprehensible. But this is India, with deep deep culturally seated morals however twisted. It's sad, but does anyone really expect India to change from this?
I wish, instead of hanging them, that they could just cut off their "dangly bits" and just let them bleed to death on the side of the road after being driven around for hours on a bus through New Dehli.
They ripped apart her body from the inside by raping her with a metal pole (not just once). Just think about that for a moment.
If they cannot receive the exact same punishment, then they should die. Anything less than death tells the entire world it is okay to do this kind of thing to women and girls.
I worked for 10 years with criminality insane, and sociopaths like these men can never be rehabilitated.
Hang 'em.
Why do we need to let people from countries like this into our country? Just like the Mexican drug rings and gang violence, they bring this attitude with them. First you get it in France and England, coming here - savages and barbarians.
This sort of thing happens in the U.S. too. And most countries. Anyone who does such a thing should be hung.
I would hope the shyster lawyer who is trying to defend these murderers also gets the death penalty.
You mean the guy who has to perform his job otherwise they get out on appeal? Great idea. Why do comments like yours make me feel that you guys are just as viscous and blood thirsty as the rapists.?
I am a man and believe this is one of the most horrendous crimes I have seen or heard of. I have a six year old daughter and pray she never receives this kind of treatment. If they were Americans I'd say castrate them and then hang them high. Since their Indians and not American's, I say they should be castrated and hanged!! But first strip them and leave them in jail so the worse of the bunch can rape them. See how they like it.
I will be totally amazed, if these men are hanged. India has a male dominate society. They use sonograms to identify female fetuses to eliminate having a girl infant. Widows were routinely to honor their dead husbands with sati. Rape of women and girls are culturally encouraged from what we have seen in the media. Child brides are given away to old men for them to marry. This has been ingrained for centuries. People around the world are appalled at the thought of what has happened to this young, gifted woman, who was tortured and died at the hands of absolute bastards. The women of India need to step up and educate the boys and men they take care of. Laws need to be enforced. It will be an uphill battle for women in India not to been seen for what is in between their legs. I hope this young woman's family can have justice for their daughter. Can't these people understand the lost of a loved one. Even the families of the men, can't they understand the lost of life.
1) It is against the law in India to use a sonogram for that purpose--sex selection. Doctors are forbidden from doing it.
2) Sati has been illegal for many years.
3) A girl has to be 18 to marry. The law is strict. People can be sent to jail, if they disobey the law.
What you are saying may be true for Afghanistan...
Why can't they have brutal public punishments for brutal crimes. Anal impalement outside of the courthouse would be a good punishment for rape. Let them sit on the stick for a week or so after death to let other potential perps see what happens.
I believe in an eye for and eye, they should feel what
they did to that young lady and more! And it should be on tv.
Not only should they be hanged but people should be allowed to beat them with metel rods like they were pinatas
You've got to be kidding me, the bus driver and his brother! WOW!! And what I've just read that the Prosecuting attorney is saying that the girl and her friend where out to late and that's why they were attacked. In my opinion they all should be casterated and be put on display too be ridiculed as the victims have been by these hatefilled animals. That attorney should be disbarred then tarred and feathered!!! I'd be happy to oblige!!!!!!
Do you think they will try to blame the theater for showing the movie too late!
Or blame the lawyer for doing his job... oh wait, too late.
It will be a miracle if someday someone that commits a crime and goes to court and pleads Guilty and says yes I did it.
Criminials are nothing but scum of the earth cowards that are brave when they are committing the crime but when they get caught and taken to court they cry that they are not guilty!!!
It's in the nature of criminals to believe it's not their fault. Mommy neglected them, daddy abused them, & society, well society is just mean to them. Nonsense of course, but they believe as fervently as any religious fanatic. So rehab is silly, why should they change when the way they are isn't their fault? And punishment is just cruel, since you're punishing them for something that isn't their fault.
Instead of "guilty or not guilty", we should be deciding "responsible or not responsible".