India Gang Rape Victim’s Death Means Murder Charges For Those Involved

New Delhi, India — Police in New Delhi will add murder charges to an already lengthy charge list in the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student.

The woman, whose name has not been released, passed away at the hospital earlier on Friday.

After deliberating, police stated they will add the murder charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code against the six men accused in the horrific incident.

NDTV reports that all six men accused in the gang rape and torture have been arrested. They were already charged with gang rape, kidnapping, unnatural offenses, hurting in committing robbery, and common intention, under the country’s penal code.

The charge sheet against the six men is expected to be filed on January 2 and will likely be about 1,000 pages long. The incident began on December 16 when the young woman took a private bus home with a male friend of hers.

The six men started to taunt the couple, then beat the male friend with an iron rod while they raped the woman. They also beat her with the iron rod. They finally threw the couple out of the bus to be found by a passer-by.

The Hindu notes that one of the six men is claiming to be a minor, though the police have sought the court’s permission to perform a bone test on him to confirm his age. The other five men are Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Pavan, and Vinay.

Should they be charged and found guilty of murder in the gang rape and beating death of the 23-year-old woman, the men could face the death penalty.