Hang me, says Delhi gang-rape accused; 1 more detained

 Faced with widespread outrage over the brutal rape and assault of a young paramedical student, the government on Wednesday announced a slew of measures to instill confidence among people even as a fifth person was detained in Bihar while another accused said "hang me".

Taking suo motu cognisance of the gang-rape of the 23-year-old girl in a moving bus in New Delhi on Sunday night, the high court pulled up the city police asking how the offence remained undetected.

The girl, admitted to the Safdurjung Hospital, continued to remain in a critical condition.

As indignation mounted, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday described the incident as "very upsetting". He directed Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to ensure that culprits are brought to book and such incidents are not repeated.

"It's a heinous crime...it is very upsetting," he said. 

In Parliament, Shinde said that there will be an immediate crackdown on buses having tinted glass and heavy curtains. They shall be impounded immediately, if they do not remove them.

All buses will be asked to keep their lights on while plying at night in Delhi and these must be parked with their owners and not their drivers, Shinde told Rajya Sabha.

Police detained Akshay Thakur, one of the six accused, from Aurangabad in Bihar and he is being brought to Delhi.

Three of the four people already arrested in the case were produced before a court which sent two of them -- Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, and Pawan Gupta, a fruit seller -- to four-day police custody and Mukesh, the brother of driver Ram Singh who was also arrested, to 14-day judicial custody for undergoing test identification parade.

Vinay and Pawan, however, have refused to undergo TIP.  

When the judge asked whether they would volunteer to undergo TIP and if not why, Vinay said, "I had beaten up the boy but did nothing with the girl" and went on to say "mujhe faansi de do (hang me)", while Pawan told the court, "I do not want to undergo TIP as I have committed a heinous act".

On a day the city witnessed a series of demonstrations, including one outside Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's residence and the police headquarters, the Delhi HC said it was "at a loss to understand as to how the bus could evade surveillance for 40 minutes".

"This incident is of great concern for all the citizens of the capital city as it relates to the safety particularly of women and girl children," a bench headed by Chief Justice D Murugesan said and asked the Police Commissioner to file a detailed status report within two days.

"There are two important questions. The first is the investigation in the case and the second is the preventive measures. We want to know what measures have been taken by the police to prevent such incidents," it said.

Mukesh, who has agreed for a TIP, will undergo the test on Thursday at Tihar Jail.

The police said it has to recover the ATM cards and mobile phones of the victim and her male friend.

A special investigation team has been set up under DCP Chhaya Sharma to closely monitor the probe.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar met Shinde and it was decided that a drive will be launched to ensure removal of tinted glasses and curtains from all buses. It was also decided that mobile number and licence number of drivers will be displayed on buses.

Demanding stern action against the six accused, scores of protesters associated with All India Students' Association, All India Democratic Womens' Association and other organisations staged protest in front of the residence of Dikshit and police headquarters.

The police used a water canon to disperse protesters outside Dikshit's residence. The Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi unit also staged protests at Jantar Mantar.

Protesters accused the government of failing to ensure a safe environment for women in the capital.

"The government is just playing the game of passing the buck and shying away from its responsibility. Delhi CM is saying law and order is under the home ministry and they are saying it's the responsibility of the state. How long such things will go on?" one of the protesters asked.

"The police should arrest the rapists promptly. The police patrolling needs to be increased. Law needs to be changed so that next time nobody can dare to do such heinous crime," Delhi State Joint Secretary of AIDWA Kavita Sharma said.

Demanding a strong punishment for the culprits, Mayor of East Delhi Municipal Corporation Annapurna Mishra said they should be hanged within a month. 

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