“As you sow so shall you reap. This has been proved right today,” said the father of the Delhi gangrape victim minutes after hearing that the main accused in the case had allegedly committed suicide in jail.
Calling it the “justice of God”, the father of the 23-year-old victim added that he was “happy” to hear the news. “Bhagwan faisla kiya hai. Kam se kam ek to gaya, baki paanch ko bhi fansi lagni chahiye (God has done justice. At least one is down, the other five should be hanged),” he said.
Even as the family of the bus driver claimed foul play, the brother of the victim said Ram Singh might have killed himself because of “guilt”. “He knew that he would get the death penalty. He must have killed himself due to the guilt. There cannot be any foul play in this. Though we wanted him publicly hanged, we are happy that God heard our prayers. We want the trial completed at the earliest and feel that the others should be sent to the gallows,” he told this newspaper.
Ram Singh and five others are accused of gangraping the girl in a moving bus on December 16, 2012. Singh and other four accused are being tried by a fast-track court. The sixth accused, declared a juvenile, is facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board.
Women and child development minister Krishna Tirath said Ram Singh may have committed suicide in “frustration” over the prospect of being jailed for life.
However, she said this could send a message to others who indulge in such activities. “He has done one more crime as committing suicide is also a crime. But I think it should send a message to others who indulge in such activities, and those who take women lightly should change themselves,” Ms Tirath said.
Ram Singh was found hanging in a high-security cell in Tihar Jail early Monday morning. Later, a three-member board was constituted by the magistrate to conduct a post-mortem examination of the body at AIIMS. Singh’s body will be handed over to his family Tuesday morning after the post-mortem, sources revealed.
“The Delhi police was unable to submit the required papers to the hospital for the post-mortem to be conducted on Monday,” a source said.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/deljpg-041