Delhi gangrape: 4 accused arrested, 2 absconding, says Delhi Police chief

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec18, 2012: The Delhi Police on Tuesday confirmed that four accused have been arrested in connection with the gangrape of a medical student in Delhi, while two were still absconding. The accused will be produced in the Saket court on Tuesday. The Delhi Police Commissioner also said that he will seek maximum punishment for the culprits.

 

The police said the main accused, Ram Singh, the driver of a chartered bus of a school was on a joyride with his friends when they called upon the victim and her male friend. "They stopped the bus at the Munirka bus stand and told them that the bus was going to Dwarka. The couple thought that it was a public carriageway. A Rs 10 ticket was given to them. The bus driver and his friends started misbehaving with the couple after a while," Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said.

The police said the bus was tracked down at RK Puram, Sector 3. The other accused arrested were Ram Singh’s brother Mukesh, who was arrested from Rajasthan, Vinay Sharma, who is an assistant gym instructor and Pawan Gupta, who is a fruit seller, the police said. The police also said that all the accused lived in RK Puram.


Neeraj Kumar also said that one of the absconding accused has been identified as Akshay Thakur from Bihar. He added that the main accused, Ram Singh, was also involved in an accident case.

The commissioner also said that the Delhi Police will appeal to the court to fast-track the case. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said she will write to the Home Minister to fast-track these cases. "I am writing a letter to the Home Minister & Chief Justice to expedite the cases. The Delhi government will co-operate to fast-track these cases. Fast redressal of the case will serve as a deterrent," Dikshit said.

The 23-year-old victim was battling for life at the Safdarjung hospital and was on ventilator support. She was operated upon on Monday night. Doctors say that she suffered serious intestinal damage and injuries to her face and abdomen. The boy sustained serious injuries to his head and arm.

This latest incident has provoked intense criticism of the government and protests in Delhi. The students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University took to streets and blocked the Ring Road in Delhi protesting against the crime.

The issue also rocked Parliament on Tuesday with the Rajya Sabha being adjourned over it. The BJP demanded a statement from Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and women MPs of the party threatened to stage a dharna in the capital on Wednesday.

In the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj demanded death penalty for rapists. Sushma said, "The 23-year-old girl was with a male friend and it was not too late either. It was 9.30 pm. And if a woman is not safe even then, then it is a shame. If this girl survives, she will be a living dead. These people should be given capital punishment."

A very agitated and angry Jaya Bachchan broke down in the Rajya Sabha and threatened to continue standing as a protest till stricter laws are put in place for the safety of women, while speaking on the merciless gangrape. The Samajwadi Party leader, who refused to follow the chair PJ Kurien’s order to sit and continued speaking on the issue, said she was appalled that a country which is known to worship women has now stooped to such levels. She also said that this is the right opportunity to take the safety of women seriously and come up with severe laws and punishments.

The girl was gangraped, brutally beaten, stripped and thrown out of the private chartered bus near Mahipalpur flyover along with her male friend, who managed to file a police complaint at around 1.15 am. The incident, according to reports, happened at 9.30 pm. The duo had boarded the bus from Munirka and were on their way to Palam, where the girl stays.

According to DCP South Chhaya Sharma, the bus was not in commercial use and it offered to drop the duo to Palam for Rs 10 each. "When they boarded the bus, there were a few other men as well in the vehicle. There was an argument between the male friend and others... As of now, we can confirm the involvement of four men. They beat them up brutally using iron rods," she said. She also said seven people appeared to be inside the bus but only four were involved in the incident.

Gangraped medical student still not out of danger: Doctors

The condition of the 23-year-old gangrape victim is "better than yesterday" but she is still "not out of danger", doctors attending on her said on Tuesday.

The girl, who was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday after she was brutally assaulted and raped, continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital. "Her condition is better than yesterday. Her conscious level is much better than yesterday’s. She underwent a surgery on Sunday," Dr BD Athani, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said.

 

Courtesy: IBN