Indian Gang-Rape Victim Dies from Injuries and Is Cremated
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW DELHI) — A 23-year-old Indian woman who died on Saturday after being brutally raped and beaten by a gang of men while riding a bus two weeks ago was cremated in New Delhi on Sunday.
The medical student, who was not identified, had been brought to Singapore for treatment, but physicians were unable to save her because of severe injuries to her body and brain.
Meanwhile, six men seized in connection with the attack face murder charges in the rape and assault that has spurred country-wide demonstrations about how women are treated in India.
India’s governing Congress party head Sonia Gandhi has promised to change the social mindset that many say lead men to treat women as second-class citizens.
New Delhi officials have said they would institute a measure to better protect women that includes providing more police night patrols and changes on buses to make female passengers feel more secure.
However, those who back Gandhi believe the male-dominated government remains blind to the everyday problems women face and, in particular, how police often casually disregard rape allegations.
There are also concerns that if men are sentenced to die for rape, it will only make criminals more inclined to kill victims to keep them from testifying against them.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio