10 men assault woman in India
Attack follows days of protests
DELHI • India’s government and police squabbled Wednesday over who was to blame for failing to protect women against sexual violence after another gang rape.
Ten men are reported to have attacked a 20-year-old woman on a river bank in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Christmas Eve.
The assault came after days of protests in Delhi prompted by the gang rape of a 23-yearold medical student on a moving bus in the capital on Dec. 16. The victim suffered internal injuries after being assaulted for an hour, and is in critical condition.
The attack precipitated public fury at a system widely judged as unresponsive and insensitive in the face of rising levels of violence against women.
Police used tear gas and water cannon as the protests, organized by student groups, turned violent, leading to a three-day shutdown of India’s national administrative district. One constable died on Tuesday, reportedly as a result of the demonstrations, although there were claims that he had suffered a heart attack.
An appeal for calm by Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, was followed Wednesday by the announcement of a special inquiry into the Delhi rape. The judgeled investigation will focus “on the lapses of the police,” P. Chidambaram, the finance minister, said. It has been alleged that policemen tried to prevent the 23-yearold woman from having her testimony filmed.