New Delhi – Indian federal government on Wednesday (Dec. 26) ordered an investigation into the gang rape of a 23-year-old student while on a bus in the capital, Delhi, earlier this month (Dec.16).
A retired judge was given responsibility to “identify the lapses” on the part of authorities and “fix responsibility” according to the announcement made by the Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
The minister announced that retired judge Usha Mehra would head a commission of inquiry into the incident. The probe would “identify the lapses, if any, on the part of the police, or another authority or person that contributed to the occurrence, and fix responsibility for the lapses or negligence”, Chidambaram said.
Meanwhile, the female student was shifted to Singapore for further treatment, officials said. The victim- who remains on life support – is being treated at a specialized facility and may require an organ transplant, according to reliable sources.
The gang rape in a speeding bus sparked angry protests in India. Six people, including the bus driver, have been held in connection with the rape. Violence in clashes between protesters and the police in Delhi left one policeman dead and injured more than 100 people.
The victim and her friend had been to see a film when they boarded the bus in the Munirka area, intending to travel to Dwarka in south-west Delhi.
Police said she was raped for nearly an hour, and both she and her companion were beaten with iron bars and thrown out of the moving bus into a Delhi street.