The body of a gang-rape victim has arrived back in New Delhi after her death sparked a wave of protests.
- Six men face murder charges
- Police chief calls for calm
- Delhi city centre sealed off
THE victim of a gang-rape which triggered an outpouring of grief and anger across India has been cremated at a private ceremony in New Delhi as it emerged she was planning to get married in February.
The unidentified 23-year-old, the focus of nationwide protests since she was brutally attacked on a bus in New Delhi two weeks ago, died on Saturday of her injuries in a Singapore hospital where she had been airlifted for treatment.
She was cremated today away from the public glare only hours after her body was repatriated.
The funeral pyre was lit after traumatised relatives and friends said their final prayers at a ceremony in southwestern Delhi, according to mourners who revealed she had been due to wed her boyfriend, who was injured in the same attack.
India's treatment of women has been denounced as police charge the men accused of a gang-rape, with murder.
''I really loved this girl,'' she said. ''She was the brightest of all.''
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the main ruling Congress Party, were at Delhi airport to console the victim's parents as they arrived home on a chartered plane with their daughter's body at 4am (0930 AEDT) today.
Indians hold candles as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, on Saturday. Picture: AP
The victim's death has prompted government promises of better protection for women and deep soul-searching in a nation where gang-rapes are a daily occurrence and sexual harassment is routinely dismissed as ''Eve-teasing''.
Waves of protests have erupted across India since the attack on the night of December 16 when the woman was not only repeatedly raped but also sexually assaulted with an iron bar, leaving her with terrible intestinal injuries.
Thousands took part in late-night candlelit vigils on Saturday after Singh led appeals for calm to prevent a repeat of the sometimes violent protests.
Indian police patrol outside the cremation ground in New Delhi today. Picture: AFP
As police said the six accused of murdering the unnamed woman could face the death penalty, there was a widespread determination that the killing would serve as a tipping point for how the nation deals with violence against women.
''We are aware that this is not the first case, nor will it be the last case of gang-rape in India, but it is clear that we will not tolerate sex crimes any more,'' said Bela Rana, a lawyer who joined a rally in central Delhi.
The city has been dubbed the ''rape capital'' of India.
Indians shout slogans and march on a street as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi, India, on Saturday. Picture: AP
A report in Sunday's Hindustan Times said more than 20 women had been raped there since December 16.
According to police and prosecutors, the murder victim's ordeal began when six men lured her and her male companion onto a bus that they thought would take them home.
Instead a group of joyriders, who had been drinking heavily, launched a savage attack lasting some 40 minutes that only ended when the victims were thrown off the bus.
An ambulance transporting the body of a gang-rape victim is seen outside her residence in New Delh.The woman's body was flown back to India after the 23-year-old died of her injuries ina Sinmgapore hospital. AFP /Sajjad Hussain
The attack has prompted intense debate among Indians who had grown almost inured to an epidemic of violence against women.
Gang-rapes are so common that they rarely get a mention in the newspapers.
Victims are often deterred even from reporting them for fear of shaming their families or receiving a brush-off from police.
Doctors say a young Indian woman who was gang-raped and severely beaten on a bus in New Delhi has died at a Singapore hospital.
The Times of India said in an editorial today that two key questions must be addressed in the aftermath of the incident: ''What exactly will the government do now to make the country a safer and better place for all women? And what will all of us do to tackle deeply entrenched prejudice and misogyny in our society?''
The government has already promised to bring in tougher sentences for the most extreme sex crimes and speed up a notoriously slow justice system.
A statement issued by United Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ''offers his sincerest condolences'' to the victim's family and ''utterly condemns this brutal crime''.
An Indian police convoy escorts an ambulance transporting the body of an Indian gang-rape victim towards her residence in New Delhi after it arrived back in India from Singapore. AFP/Sajjad Hussain
''Violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated,'' the statement said.
''Every girl and woman has the right to be respected, valued and protected.''
Ban urged the Indian government to take steps to deter such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice, and to ''strengthen critical services for rape victims'', the statement said.
Funeral workers in Singapore unload the body of the young Indian woman who died after injuries from a brutal gang-rape on a bus.
An Indian ties a black band as he arrives to attend a gathering to mourn the death of a 23-year-old gang rape victim, in Mumbai. The incident has galvanised Indians to demand an end to sexual crimes against women.
A man attends a candlelight vigil in memory of the young woman who died after being gang-raped by six men on a bus in New Delhi.
Indians lie down on the ground mimicking dead bodies as they mourn the death of a gang rape victim in New Delhi.
An Indian woman protests against the brutal gang-rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi.
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