Sunday, December 30, 2012

Special Air India aircraft bringing gang raped victim''s body back delayed

New Delhi, Dec.29 (ANI): There has been a delay in the special aircraft of national carrier Air India taking off from Singapore, which is bringing back the body of the 23-year-old woman who was gang raped on the night of December 16 on a running bus.

Television channels are now reporting that the plane will leave Singapore at 9.30 p.m. IST, and is expected to arrive in India in the early hours of Sunday.

It is not known as yet where the special aircraft will land.

Earlier, television channels reported that the special Air India flight -- a chartered plane, an Airbus A-319, left Indira Gandhi International Airport at 8 a.m. IST for Singapore and was expected to return around 8 p.m. IST tonight after taking off from there at around 5 p.m. Singapore time, media reports quoted Air India officials, as saying.

The unnamed woman died shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday morning after battling for her life for 13 days in New Delhi''''s Safdarjang Hospital and in Singapore''''s Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Doctors said that she expired due to multiple organ failure brought on by internal injuries, cardiac arrest and brain damage.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has cancelled all his formal engagements in Maharashtra and will return to Delhi by this evening.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for amending criminal laws to ensure stringent punishment for rape in the wake of the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim.

Reacting to the death, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the entire country should hang its head in shame.

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati says government needs to take measures by enacting strict laws to protect women, and guilty should get stricter punishments.

Delhi gang-rape accused Akshay Singh alias Thakur, who was the last one to be arrested in the case, was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma after expiry of his day-long police custody.

The court ordered that he be remanded to judicial custody and produced again before the court on January 9.

The court passed the judicial custody order said after the police did not seek his further custody.

Media reports have also indicated that the prime accused have reportedly been shifted to high-security cells in Tihar Jail, fearing violent attacks on them in the wake of the raped woman''''s death.

The family of the male friend of the gang-rape victim demanded that the six rapists should be hanged "as soon as possible".

The distraught family of the young gang-rape victim hopes her death will contribute to making India a safer place for women, said India''''s High Commissioner to Singapore, T.C.A. Raghavan. (ANI)

Rape victim dead; body to be flown back tonight

Singapore, Dec 29 (PTI) The 23-year-old victim of the brutal gang rape and assault in Delhi that had triggered an outrage across India died early this morning here after putting up a brave battle for life for nearly a fortnight.

The girl, who was admitted to the well-known multi-organ transplant facility Mount Elizabeth Hospital here on Thursday morning in an extremely critical condition, breathed her last at 4:45 AM (2:15 AM India time).

Delhi gang-rape victim's death: Women in Shillong hold candlelight vigil

Shillong: Women held a candlelight vigil and took out a silent march here this evening to mourn the death of Delhi gang-rape victim and to demand justice for her.

Hundreds of women braved the cold as they lit candles at the Don Bosco Square before taking out a silent procession. Taking part in the vigil, Emie Sunn, a 10-year-old boy demanded that those who committed crimes against women should be hanged.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who condoled the death of the victim in Singapore, said "A thorough look at the prevailing system to address this menace is the need of the hour." comprehensive action plan was required involving the government and the people. "Any change that we want can only take place when the people themselves involve in the process."

Admitting that crimes against women in matrilineal Meghalaya was increasing, Sangma said, "This problem is serious and we all need to concertedly strive towards a permanent solution."

PTI