January 5, 2013
‘The cruelty I saw should not be seen ever,’ said the unidentified 28-year-old of the attack, which included a beating with a metal pipe.
January 5, 2013
‘The cruelty I saw should not be seen ever,’ said the unidentified 28-year-old of the attack, which included a beating with a metal pipe.
Indian protesters light candles around a mannequin representing the rape victim while paying tribute during a rally in New Delhi. Claims of police incompetence and public apathy stirred new anger in the Delhi gang-rape case after the boyfriend of the victim recounted details of the savage attack for the first time.
The 23-year-old woman whose gang rape and fatal beating in India sparked nationwide protests was left bloody and ignored on the street for more than 30 minutes after the attack, according to a male friend.
The friend, who was also savagely beaten during the Dec. 16 attack on a New Delhi bus, spoke publicly for the first time Friday, saying police were slow to respond and callous passersby did nothing to help the clearly wounded pair.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity for legal reasons, the man told the news agency AFP they had just seen a movie and then were lured onto the bus by the driver and five other men.
"The cruelty I saw should not be seen ever," said the 28-year-old man of the savagery of the assault, which included a beating with a metal pipe.
The male victim, who suffered a broken leg, also spoke to the Hindi language television station Zee News.
He said that after they were dumped on the street, police took about 30 minutes to arrive. When they showed up, officers argued about jurisdiction and over lifting the bloody, beaten woman into the ambulance.
"They could have taken us to hospital, given us clothes in that crucial one and a half hours. For a dying person every minute is important," he told the channel.
The woman never recovered from her injuries. She died two weeks later while receiving care in Singapore.
Indian protesters participate in a prayer meeting for the rape victim in New Delhi.
Her death and the grisly details of the assault stoked mass anger in India, where a rape occurs about every 20 minutes, according to experts and law enforcement. There’s often little recourse for sexual assault victims, and both arrests and prosecutions are staggeringly low.
Protesters have been calling for the death penalty for the six men accused of the rape and murder.
The victim’s companion said they were both assaulted and then she was dragged toward the driver’s seat.
"The driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body,” he told AFP.
Shortly after the male victim went public with accusations against New Delhi police, officials filed a criminal case against Zee News, saying airing the interview could lead to the identification of the victim, which is illegal in rape cases in India.
"Investigations will begin shortly and anyone guilty of this violation will be similar charged," said Rajan Bhagat, a police spokesman.
The Committee to Protect Journalists quickly condemned the move.
"This is an instance of greatly misplaced priorities. Authorities are hardly protecting the victim's rights by retaliating against news media that are bringing to light details of the horrific crime that claimed her life,” Bob Diet, the organization's Asia director, told The Telegraph.
Courtesy: NYDN
