New Delhi: Death penalty demanded after gang rape on bus
Police in India’s capital have used water cannons and batons for a second day to break up protests by hundreds of people demonstrating against the gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus.
Demonstrations continued in New Delhi despite Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde promising to consider the protesters’ demands for death penalties for all six suspects who have been arrested by police following the December 16 attack.
Mr Shinde also said that the government was taking steps to better ensure the safety of women, and that five New Delhi police officers have been suspended for lack of prompt action following the rape attack..
A group of protesters met Sonia Gandhi, the governing Congress party chief, today and demanded a speedy trial of the suspects.
The attack last Sunday has sparked days of protests across the country.
The victim and her companion were attacked after getting a ride on a chartered bus. Police said men on the bus gang-raped the woman and beat her and her companion with iron rods as the bus drove through the city for hours, even passing through police checkpoints.
The assailants eventually stripped the pair and dumped them on the side of a road.
The victim is recovering from injuries in a New Delhi government hospital.
