Murder charges invoked in gang-rape case

NEW DELHI:(virender khagta) The Delhi Police on Saturday invoked murder charges against the men allegedly involved in the gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus after she died in a Singapore hospital and decided to file the charge sheet in court on January 3, 2013.

Police said it will be their endeavour to ensure the “harshest punishment in the book” to the culprits.

“We hope to file the chargesheet by the 3rd of January, 2013. Section 302 of IPC, which is the penal section for murder, has been added in the case,” Dharmendra Kumar, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), said.

He said a Special Public Prosecutor of eminence has been appointed to conduct the trial in a Fast Track Court on a day-to-day basis. “It will be our endeavour to ensure the harshest punishment in the book to the culprits,” he said.

The autopsy of the victim was done by a Singaporean Medical Team and the report will be made available to investigators at the earliest.

“In this moment of national grief following the loss of a young and innocent life to a barbaric crime, we appeal to members of public to stay calm and maintain peace.

“We, in the Delhi Police, as citizens of this country are equally saddened, if not more. Our sympathy goes out to the bereaved family,” he said.

The police had initially booked the six men under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 365 (kidnapping or abducting), 376 (2)(g) (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 394 (hurting in committing robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The girl had boarded the bus, thinking it to be a legitimate public carriage, from Munirka but was attacked and gang-raped even as her male friend accompanying her tried to protect her. He was also injured in the incident.

The arrested persons are driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Akshay Singh alias Thakur, Pavan and Vinay. The sixth person apprehended claimed that he is a minor and the police have sought the court’s permission to get a bone test to ascertain his age.

Meanwhile, Thakur was remanded in judicial custody for 12 days by a Delhi court.

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.

“He (Thakur) is remanded in judicial custody. Let he be produced on January 9,” the court said after the police did not seek his further custody.

Thakur had been remanded in police custody on Friday for a day to recover the remaining case property and clothes which he and other arrested five co-accused were wearing while allegedly raping and brutally assaulting the victim.

After the day-long custody, the police did not seek his further remand as they recovered the articles, which had not been recovered earlier.

The investigating officer in the case told the court that they have seized the clothes of the accused worn on the night of incident and also the mobile of the girl and ATM card of her male friend and other valuables at the instance of Thakur.

It also said the victim’s male friend, a 28-year-old software engineer had identified the valuables, which were robbed from them after the incident.

The police told the court that victim’s friend had even identified the ring, which girl was wearing on that night.

Thakur was arrested on December 21, 2012, and underwent test identification parade on December 26.

Besides him, the others arrested in the gang-rape case are in judicial custody till January 6.

Related posts