As Delhi rape victim battled death before giving in, the city raised its voice

PROTEST \\ On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was beaten up and raped in a moving bus by six men. The woman who was accompanied by a male companion had boarded the bus at 9.30pm after watching a film. The woman succumbed to her injuries within two weeks of the assault. She was beaten up by an iron rod, which damaged 95 per cent of her intestines. The 23-year-old breathed her last on 29 December, 2012, in Singapore, where she was undergoing emergency treatment. The assaulters also beat up her friend and threw the two out of the bus. Police found and arrested some of the perpetrators within 24 hours of the incident. Out of the six accused, one is a juvenile, also allegedly the most brutal attacker. While the six will be tried for murder, the juvenile accused could walk free after three years of imprisonment. Meanwhile, protests broke out in Delhi, and the rest of the country, over government apathy and lack of safety for women. Protestors also took to streets demanding capital punishment and stricter laws for crime against women. In one rally, protestors allegedly clashed with the police, who then lathi-charged and shot them with water cannons and tear gas.