The 23 year old girl who was gang raped in a bus in New Delhi, India, has died this Saturday, following complications arising from her injuries, the hospital treating her has said.
The girl suffered the brutal rape attack by six men in a bus in the Indian capital on December 16, in which she was hit with an iron rod which was even used to assault her sexually.
Following that attack, the country was thrown into a state of unrest, as crowds protested the attack, as well as the growing phenomenon of sexual assaults on women in the country, and a lack of protection for women.
The victim was treated in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital after the attack, and was subsequently airlifted to Singapore on Thursday, a decision which has been heavily criticized.
Kelvin Loh, the chief executive of Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital where she was being treated said in a statement, "We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 am (2045 GMT) on 29 Dec 2012. Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side. The Mount Elizabeth Hospital team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss."
She had remained in an extremely critical condition since being admitted to the hospital, Loh said, with doctors mounting a last-ditch battle overnight to save her life.
"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days," Loh said.
"She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."
Authorities in India have been preparing for the possibility her death could ignite more protests after riot police were deployed on the capital’s streets in the wake of the attack amid simmering anger at the daily dangers women face.
This was in reaction to the wave of protests in the week after the attack, prompting the authorities to seal off large parts of the capital and to deploy riot police with water cannons and tear gas.
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has ordered an official inquiry into the gang-rape and new laws to protect women as well as stiffer penalties for the worst sex crimes.
The government has also announced plans to post the photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists on official websites to publicly shame them. The campaign will begin in Delhi, which has been dubbed India’s "rape capital".
The rape and eventual death of the girl has brought into public limelight a crime that happens with frightening regularity on a daily basis in India.
It's rather unfortunate that it had to take a death for authorities to sit up and do something to actually protect their women.
Nigeria is a lot closer to India than we think when it concerns crimes against women.
We hope the Nigerian government is listening and taking notes. . .
Source: Vanguard Newspapers
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