Indian gang rape victim in horror bus attack given fresh hope as she flies to Singapore for treatment
- 23-year-old student arrives at Singapore hospital and taken to intensive care
- Hospital is a specialist organ transplant centre and hopes to save her
- Protests continue in Delhi as prime minister vows to improve womens' safety
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An Indian student battling for survival after she was brutally gang-raped in New Delhi will be treated at a top organ transplant hospital in Singapore.
The 23-year-old woman, whose barbaric attack on a bus has sparked outrage and protests across India, was air-lifted from a central Delhi hospital to the city's airport for transfer to Singapore on Wednesday.
It came as the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh responded to days of violent protest at the attack by promising better action to protect the nation's women.
He said: 'The issue of safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government.'
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Brutal attack: The 23-year-old student was
assaulted on a moving bus and has now been transferred from Delhi to a
intensive care at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital, pictured above
Recovery: The young victim being transferred to
Singapore, pictured above, is critically ill but has spoken movingly to
her family of her wish to move on with her life after she was
horrifically raped aboard a bus
A hospital statement said she was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Mount Elizabeth hospital and she was in an 'extremely critical condition'.
'Despite the best efforts of our doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us,' he said.
Meanwhile, authorities in India are attempting to stem any further violence from demonstrations that erupted in reaction to the rape.
Police have barricaded streets, blocked metro stations and increased their presence in the city centre of New Delhi.
One police officer has been killed during the protests. A 47-year-old married father of three died after three days' treatment in hospital, according to news service Al Jazeera
Concern: Members of the top organ transplant
medical team accompanied the gang rape victim to Mount Elizabeth
Hospital in Singapore
State of the art: transplant facilities at the
Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore, where the Indian gang-rape
victim will undergo treatment, are said to be among the best in the
world
He was found on the ground during the protests. Eight people have been arrested and charged in connection with his death.His relatives, speaking on Al Jazeera, blame 'the people' for his death.
'It is the fault of the people. He was only doing his duty and following police orders. But the public attacked him and killed him so the people are responsible,' one relative said.
Police said an autopsy showed the officer had a heart attack that could have been caused by injuries suffered during violence at the protest.
An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the officer was running toward the protesters with a group of police when he collapsed on the ground and began frothing at the mouth and shaking. The journalist said two protesters rushed to the officer to try to help him.
Outrage: Indian students protesting today in
Kolkata against the treatment of women following the recent gang-rape of
a young woman in a moving bus in New Delh
Anger: Despite calls for calm, protestors and
police have been involved in violent clashes which have continued more
than a week-and-a-half
Silent protest: Sex workers, lesbian and gay
protestors held a silent march today as people feel too little is being
done by police and authorities to protect them
Vigil: Candles were lit in Delhi as silent protestors stood displaying placards, banners and posters
Peaceful: Protestors want the government to take action to improve safety for women in India
Across the country there have been demonstrations, including candle-lit vigils and street protests with placards, chants and road blocks.
During the days of protests, reports reveal more than 100 people and about 70 officers have been hurt.
Police have used batons, teargas and water cannon to try and disperse the demonstrators after the authorities attempted to limit the public gatherings.
The Government has faced criticism for the use of force against protesters, the failure to implement laws to protect women in India's 'rape capital' and for how slow it has been to respond to the strength of feeling.
New Delhi: Activists of the All-India Democratic
Women's Association and YWCA students take part in a protest march from
Rashtrapati Bhawan to India gate against the gangrape of a girl, in New
Delhi
Clashes: Police have been criticised for using
heavy handed tactics against demonstrators who are demanding better
protection of women following the brutal bus gang rape
Those taking part were demanding a government crackdown on the daily harassment Indian women face, ranging from groping to severe violence.
Protesters demanding safer public transportation for women and the resignation of Delhi's police commissioner tried to march to the major India Gate traffic circle in central Delhi before being stopped by police in riot gear manning barricades.
Protesters carried signs reading, 'Immediately end rape culture in India' and 'Zero tolerance of violence against women'.
Rape victims rarely press charges because of social stigma and fear they will be accused of inviting the attack. Many women say they structure their lives around protecting themselves and their daughters from attack.
Some protesters have called for the death penalty or castration for rapists, who under current laws face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged today to take action to protect the nation's women.
Singh's government set up two committees in response to the protests. One, looking into speeding up sexual assault trials, has already received 6,100 email suggestions. The second will examine what lapses might have contributed to the rape - which took place on a moving bus that passed through police checkpoints - and suggest measures to improve women's safety.
'Let me state categorically that the issue of safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government,' Singh said at a development meeting. He urged officials in India's states to pay special attention to the problem.
'There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population, and this participation simply cannot take place if their security and safety is not assured,' he said.
Solidarity: Students take out a candlelight march in support of the gang rape victim in the Capital on Wednesday
Medics'
protest: Medical workers protester at LNJP hospital against the recent
gang-rape of a young woman in a moving bus in New Delhi
Angered: A protester against the recent gang-rape of a young woman in a moving bus in New Delhi
The horrific sexual assault, which took place on a bus on December 16, in New Delhi, lasted 40 minutes, according to the Gulfnews.com, which states the men involved allegedly tricked the woman to board the bus.
During the brutal assault, the victim was attacked with an iron rod, leaving her with serious injuries and in a critical condition.
Police said the rape victim was traveling on the evening of Dec 16 with a male friend on the bus.
B.D. Athani, the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, where the woman had been treated, said she suffered severe intestinal and abdominal injuries, underwent three surgeries and had parts of her intestines removed, according to the Press Trust of India.
'With fortitude and courage, the girl survived the after-effects of the injuries so far well. But the condition continues to be critical,' he was quoted as saying.
Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack and have been remanded in custody.
Death sentence: Indian students are among those calling for the death penalty for those found guilty of the brutal gang-rape
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