Indian PM vows to protect women’s safety
Rape victim sent to hospital in Singapore for treatment
NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged Thursday to take action to protect the nation’s women while the young victim of a gang rape on a New Delhi bus was flown to Singapore for treatment of severe internal injuries.
The Dec. 16 rape and brutal beating of the 23-year-old student triggered widespread protests, including a march on Thursday demanding a government crackdown on the daily harassment Indian women face, ranging from groping to severe violence. Some protesters have called for the death penalty or castration for rapists, who under current laws face a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Rape victims rarely press charges because of social stigma and fear they will be accused of inviting the attack. Many women say they structure their lives around protecting themselves and their daughters from attack.
Singh’s government set up two committees in response to the protests. One, looking into speeding up sexual assault trials, has already received 6,100 email suggestions. The second will examine what lapses might have contributed to the rape — which took place on a moving bus that passed through police checkpoints — and suggest measures to improve women’s safety.
He urged officials in India’s states to pay special attention to the problem.
“There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population, and this participation simply cannot take place if their security and safety is not assured,” Singh said.
On Thursday night the victim remained in “extremely critical condition” as a team of specialists worked to stabilize her, Dr. Kelvin Loh, the hospital’s chief executive, said in a statement. Before arriving in Singapore, she had undergone three abdominal surgeries and suffered cardiac arrest, he said.
India’s Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a statement that the government, which is funding and overseeing the victim’s treatment, had decided to send her abroad on the recommendation of her doctors.
“Despite the best efforts of our doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us,” he said.
Her family was also being sent to Singapore to be with her during her treatment, which could last weeks, he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters demanding safer public transportation for women and the resignation of Delhi’s police commissioner tried to march to the major India Gate traffic circle in central Delhi before being stopped by police in riot gear. Protests have shut down the centre of the capital for days since the rape.
Police quashed some of the demonstrations with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.