Man accused of Delhi rape found dead

Man accused of Delhi rape found dead

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The mother of Ram Singh, alleged ringleader in the gang rape and torture of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus three months ago, wails in her home after her son was found dead in his prison cell.

Prison authorities said that Singh, the main accused in an assault that led to the young victim's death and sparked protests across India, hanged himself in jail. However, his family and lawyer said they suspected "foul play".

. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal

A policeman walks through Tihar Jail, where Singh was found dead. Prison spokesman Sunil Gupta said Singh fashioned a noose out of his sleeping mat and hanged himself just before dawn in the cell he shared with three other people.

. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal

Singh's parents sit on the floor in their home in a New Delhi slum. His father said that he did not believe Singh had killed himself and suspected that his son had been murdered in his cell.

"He confessed about his mistake, then why would he commit suicide? He was prepared for any punishment the government would have given him," Mange Lal Singh said.

Alleged ringleader in India gang-rape case found dead in cell

The man police say was the ringleader in a gang rape on a New Delhi bus in December that outraged India hanged himself in his cell on March 11, prison authorities said, raising questions about jail monitoring and security.

Ram Singh made a noose from the mat he slept on and hanged himself just before dawn from a grille in the ceiling of the cell he shared with three others, prison spokesman Sunil Gupta said.

While there were CCTV cameras throughout Tihar, India's highest-security prison, there were none in individual cells, Gupta said. Singh had been placed in the "ordinary security" category, so did not receive any special surveillance, he said.

Gupta could not say how long it would have taken Singh to make the noose or how he had managed to loop it through the grille, which was eight feet (2.3 metres) above the floor. He may have stood on a plastic bucket, some Indian media reported.

Singh's lawyer, V.K. Anand, said his client had been composed and calm when he spoke to him in court on March 8 and "didn't have any complaints". Singh, who faced the death penalty if convicted of murder, had not been on suicide watch, Anand and Gupta said.

"I know he had a few complaints of jail authorities torturing him, but nothing that would make him take his own life. We can't rule out foul play," Anand said.

Anand had previously denied that his client was being maltreated in prison. He would not elaborate on the "torture".

Federal Home (Interior) Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde called the incident a "major lapse" in security and said an inquiry had been launched.

Singh and five others, including a juvenile, were put on trial for the December 16 attack on the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist. The assault triggered nationwide protests, a toughening of rape laws and an intense debate about rampant crime against women in India.

All six accused have pleaded not guilty to rape and murder, although police say they admitted involvement in the attack in statements taken after their arrest.

Singh's father said he did not believe his son had committed suicide and suspected that he had been murdered in his cell.

"He confessed about his mistake, then why would he commit suicide? He was prepared for any punishment the government would have given him," Mange Lal Singh said.

BLOODSTAINED SCHOOL BUS

The trial of the five adult men started last month while the juvenile's trial began last week. Ram Singh's brother Mukesh Singh, gym assistant Vinay Sharma, bus cleaner Akshay Kumar Singh and fruit vendor Pawan Kumar are the other men on trial.

Police say the six attacked the woman and a male companion on the bus as the couple returned home after watching a movie. The woman was repeatedly raped and tortured with a metal bar. They were also severely beaten before being thrown onto a road.

The woman died of internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later.

Legal experts said Singh's death did not undermine the prosecution's case, which was largely based on DNA evidence and the testimony of the rape victim before she died and her friend.

"There will be no impact on the trial. This is a case of gang rape where all are held equally responsible, you can't say one is more to blame than the other," said Rebecca Mammen John, a Supreme Court lawyer who has worked on many rape cases.

The police report draws a picture of Ram Singh as the ringleader. On the night of December 16, the men gathered at Singh's house for dinner, where he came up with the plan of taking the bus out to look for a victim to rape, the report said.

The police say they found him sitting in the blood-stained school bus, wearing a bloodied T-shirt, the morning after the crime. A DNA test revealed that the blood belonged to the rape victim, the report said.

The victim's brother said he was "not very thrilled with the news that he killed himself because I wanted him to be hanged ... publicly.

"Him dying on his own terms seems unfair. But, oh well, one is down. Hopefully the rest will wait for their death sentence."

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This is the first in a series of images showing demonstrations and vigils in the aftermath of the New Delhi rape. Here, schoolgirls in the Western Indian city Ahmedabad pay homage to the victim.
. AHMEDABAD, India. REUTERS/Amit Dave

This is the first in a series of images showing demonstrations and vigils in the aftermath of the New Delhi rape. Here, schoolgirls in the Western Indian city Ahmedabad pay homage to the victim.

A girl lights candles during a vigil for the young woman, whose rape and murder was seen by many to symbolise an epidemic of crime against women in India.
. KOLKATA, India. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

A girl lights candles during a vigil for the young woman, whose rape and murder was seen by many to symbolise an epidemic of crime against women in India.

School children in Ahmedabad hold candles as they pray during a vigil for the gang rape victim. The number "12" painted on the face of the girl on left refers to the year in which the young woman was attacked.
. AHMEDABAD, India. REUTERS/Amit Dave

School children in Ahmedabad hold candles as they pray during a vigil for the gang rape victim. The number "12" painted on the face of the girl on left refers to the year in which the young woman was attacked.

Demonstrators take part in a candlelight vigil for the victim in New Delhi.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Demonstrators take part in a candlelight vigil for the victim in New Delhi.

Women carrying placards enter New Delhi's Raj Ghat memorial to attend a prayer ceremony for the rape victim after a rally organised by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit protesting violence against women.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Women carrying placards enter New Delhi's Raj Ghat memorial to attend a prayer ceremony for the rape victim after a rally organised by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit protesting violence against women.

Young women take part in a protest for the gang rape victim.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Young women take part in a protest for the gang rape victim.

A demonstrator shouts slogans from inside a bus after she was detained by police during a protest rally against the attack.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal

A demonstrator shouts slogans from inside a bus after she was detained by police during a protest rally against the attack.

A girl sticks flowers to a billboard at a bus stop, which was plastered with messages of support for the rape victim and posters protesting violence against women.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

A girl sticks flowers to a billboard at a bus stop, which was plastered with messages of support for the rape victim and posters protesting violence against women.

Crowds of women take part in a prayer ceremony for the rape victim after a rally calling for better security for women at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Crowds of women take part in a prayer ceremony for the rape victim after a rally calling for better security for women at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.

A protester with a gag tied around her mouth takes part in a silent protest for the assault victim.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A protester with a gag tied around her mouth takes part in a silent protest for the assault victim.

Two protestors hold placards to show their solidarity with the woman who was raped.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Two protestors hold placards to show their solidarity with the woman who was raped.

Police detain a demonstrator during a protest the day after the victim died, when her body arrived back in New Delhi and was quickly cremated in a private ceremony.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Police detain a demonstrator during a protest the day after the victim died, when her body arrived back in New Delhi and was quickly cremated in a private ceremony.

Three men hold up cards protesting violence against women.
. NEW DELHI, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Three men hold up cards protesting violence against women.