India rape victim’s body cremated in New Delhi

NEW DELHI, INDIA – The body of the woman whose gang rape has triggered an outpouring of grief and anger across India has been cremated in a private ceremony.

The young woman’s body was flown home from Singapore after her death Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, were at the airport to receive the body early Sunday and to meet the victim’s family.

The 23-year-old unidentified woman died of severe organ failure in a Singapore hospital after suffering internal injuries and brain damage in the attack.

Indian authorities have charged six men with murder, following the death of a student who was brutally gang-raped earlier this month on a bus in New Delhi.

News of her death prompted thousands of people to stage peaceful protests in the Indian capital, despite tight security to prevent mass demonstrations. The protesters demanded justice for the victim and safety for women.

Thousands of shocked Indians mourning her death gathered at Jantar Mantar in the capital on Saturday to express their grief, demand stronger protection for women and ask for the death penalty in cases of rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment.

Dozens of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in south Delhi marched silently to the bus stop from which the rape victim and her friend had boarded the bus on December 16.

They carried placards reading: “She is not with us but her story must awaken us.”

New Delhi has been rocked by mass protests since the woman was attacked December 16.

Demonstrators also mourned her death with protests Saturday in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he is