On Friday, the death of a 23-year-old woman grimly reminded the world just how hard it is to be a woman in India. Affectionately named “Amanat”–meaning “treasure” in Urdu–by media, the medical student succumbed to injuries two weeks after being severely beaten, raped and thrown out of a moving bus in New Delhi.
“We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4:45 a.m. on Dec 29, 2012 (3:45 p.m. ET Friday). Her family and officials from the High Commission (Embassy) of India were by her side,” Mount Elizabeth Hospital Chief Executive Officer Kelvin Loh said in a statement.
The woman had her intestines removed due to injuries caused by a metal rod used during the rape. She also suffered a major brain injury, cardiac arrest and infections of the lungs and abdomen, the New York Times reports. On Wednesday night, she was transported to a hospital in Singapore after undergoing three abdominal operations at a hospital in India.
“She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds, but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome,” Dr. Loh’s statement said.
Police announced on Saturday, the six men involved in the attack will be charged with murder, according to the New York Times. The brutality of the December 16th attack motivated several hundred protesters–many men–to take to the streets. Fed up with lax laws, protesters called for harsher punishment for rapists.
If convicted, Indian police say, the men could face the death penalty. A rare occurrence, when women’s rights activists claim rapes and other sex crimes go unreported, victims are often criminalized, and offenders largely roam free.
