6. 2012 Nirbhaya Gangrape/Murder (Delhi)
The burgeoning metropolis of Delhi has become synonymous for rape. In fact, it is now known as ‘the rape capital of the country’. The Nirbhaya rape case was one such awful crime which attracted condemnation from all over the world.
What Really Happened?
December 16, 2012, a horrific night that shook the entire nation. Nirbhaya (as named by media) and her male friend came out from a movie theatre and waited at Munirka, South Delhi to reach home in Dwarka. Soon after, an off-duty chartered bus halted in front of them and offered them a lift. Apart from Nirbhaya and her male friend, there were six other people on the bus, including a juvenile. After a verbal spat between the male friend and people who were already on the bus, a fight broke out and the drunk men started molesting Nirbhaya in the moving bus. When he objected, the male friend was hit with iron rods and Nirbhaya was dragged to the back of the bus, while one person kept driving the bus around in the darkness. They not only raped her but wounded her physically by inserting a rusted iron rod inside her genitalia and ripping her organs apart. After brutalizing her, the culprits threw Nirbhaya and her friend from the moving bus near Mahipalpur. The two were later taken to Safdarjung hospital in a half-dead state. As per the medical reports of Nirbhaya, her organs were severely damaged. She could hold on for 11 days and breathed her last in Singapore, where she was taken for further medical care. The male friend’s life was saved.
What’s the Status Now?
All the six accused were arrested in a few days following the CCTV footage of the bus. One of the accused, whose name is not taken in the public domain since he was a minor, was tried by the Juvenile Justice Board and sentenced to three years in a shelter home. He was released on December 20, 2015, and sent to a charity home for security purposes. The main culprit Ram Singh was arrested first but hanged himself inside his Tihar Jail cell on March 2013. However, his family claimed that he was murdered. Another accused, the brother of Ram Singh and the third accused, Mukesh Singh were given death sentences. Fourth accused Vinay Sharma, who always denied being on the bus, was anyway given the death sentence. Fifth and sixth accused Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta were too awarded the death sentence. However, seven years have passed, and the death penalty is yet to be executed. This case led to an amendment in the rape laws in India to make them more stringent. And led to an outcry for juveniles below 18 years accused of heinous crimes to be tried as adults.
After seven years and three months and the elasticized case, the four convicts have been hanged in the wee hours of Friday i.e. March 20, 2020 in Tihar Jail, New Delhi.
Recently a Netflix original was released on this gruesome case called “Delhi Crime”. And various other documentaries have also been made on this criminal case.
Related Link:
The Latest Timeline of The Most Controversial 2012 Nirbhaya Gang Rape and Murder Case
