Indians mourn Delhi rape victim's death

New Delhi, Dec 29: The whole of India is mourning the Delhi gang-rape victim's untimely death. Thousands of people have been congregating at public places across the country to express solidarity with the unnamed 23-year-old who breathed her last at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore this morning.

Grieving citizens took out peace marches in the national capital. When Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reached Jantar Mantar, she was heckled by those assembled at the main protest venue. Even her vehicle was blocked by the angry protesters. The CM was forced to leave after lighting a candle at the site.

The Delhi Police barred access to areas like India Gate, Raisina Hill and Rajpath due to the fear that the protests could turn violent. Several Metro stations were also shut down. However, the precautionary measures seemed to be unnecessary as the protesters did not take the law into their hands while conveying their concern over the lack of safety for women.

In the evening, a candlelight vigil was organised at Jantar Mantar. The Juhu beach in Mumbai and the Freedom Park in Bangalore witnessed similar scenes. Residents of Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other cities also conveyed their strong protest over the manner in which six men sexually assaulted the victim and then brutally attacked her before throwing her out of a moving bus on Dec 16.

The victim's body is being brought back from Singapore. A special Air India aircraft, Airbus A-319, carrying her mortal remains is expected to touch down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here around 8 p.m.

OneIndia News