The first death anniversary of the December 16 gang-rape victim was marked by her parents’ announcement of setting up a trust in her name for helping women. Her family, which is currently at their ancestral village in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh made this announcement during a prayer ceremony held in the village.
In the memory of the physiotherapy student, candle light vigil and prayer ceremony were organised at Jantar Mantar and Mavlankar Auditorium in the Capital. Minister for Women’s Safety, Rakhi Birla, also attended the prayer meeting at Jantar Mantar and ensured speedy justice for the victim’s family. All the accused should be hanged soon, she said.
Members of the December- 16 Kranti group marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar earlier in the day. They carried placards that read “Hang the Rapists’ and other slogans, remembering the rape victim. Later, a prayer meet was held on Jantar Mantar Road that about a year ago was the centre of a series of protests by people from all walks of life following the gruesome incident. While remembering the brave-heart, the activists demanded that the accused should be hanged soon.
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The victim’s father who also echoes the same sentiments told
It was on December 29 last year that the 23-year-old paramedic student lost the battle for life at a hospital in Singapore, nearly two weeks after being attacked and brutally raped by a gang of six men on a moving bus in Vasant Kunj in South Delhi.
After ten days of receiving treatment at Safdarjang Hospital in Delhi, she was air-lifted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. But her condition did not improve and three days later she died of a major massive cardiac arrest.
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The horrific rape incident that led to the victim’s death had triggered massive public outrage in Delhi as well as across the country. On the day, her body was flown back to the country Section 144 was imposed in New Delhi area so as to prevent and untoward incident by the protesters.
People had come out in huge numbers on the street to mourn the death of the victim.
On the night of December 16, 2012, the 23-year old physiotherapy student was gang raped and brutally assaulted by six persons in a moving bus in Delhi and dumped by the roadside along with her male friend who was also injured. Four of her attackers were convicted and given the death penalty in September after the case was fast-tracked, while a juvenile was sentenced to a detention centre.
The sixth accused died in prison in March in an apparent suicide.