17-year-old sixth suspect to be tried in juvenile court

Authorities filed rape and murder charges on Thursday against five men accused of the gang rape of a 23-year-old university student on a New Delhi bus, a crime that horrified Indians and provoked a national debate about the treatment of women.

Police said they plan to push for the death penalty in the case, as government officials promised new measures to protect women in the nation's capital.

Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan filed a case of rape, tampering with evidence, kidnapping, murder and other charges against the men in a new fast-track court in south Delhi, which was opened only the day before to deal specifically with crimes against women. Mohan asked for a closed trial and a hearing was set for Saturday.

The men charged are Ram Singh, 33, the bus driver; his brother Mukesh Singh, 26, who cleans buses for the same company; Pavan Gupta, 19, a fruit vendor; Akshay Singh, 24, a bus washer; and Vinay Sharma, 20, a fitness trainer.

A sixth suspect was listed as being 17 years old and was expected to be tried in a juvenile court, where the maximum sentence would be three years in a reform facility.

"We have filed the charge sheet against the five accused," an investigating police officer told a magistrate hearing the case in the Saket court complex in New Delhi.

The five men were not present when the media were allowed into the courtroom. Journalists were initially prevented from listening to proceedings, sparking chaotic scenes outside.

The men face at least seven charges, including murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery and attempting to destroy evidence. The next hearing in the case was set for Saturday.

A police charge sheet under Indian law lays out the charges against the accused and details the evidence against them.

The 23-year-old victim in the gang rape case, who died at the weekend from her horrific injuries, gave a statement to police immediately after the attack.

Her boyfriend, who was with her at the time and was also attacked, has also given an account.

He was beaten during his attempts to save the medical student after the couple were lured onto the private bus by the reportedly drunk gang after watching a film on Dec 16.

On Thursday morning, several hundred protesters including lawyers gathered outside the court demanding greater protection for women and improvements in the dysfunctional justice system.

"Why is there such a low conviction rate in India? Please judges, wake up!" said one banner.

A total of 26 percent of the 24,206 cases of rape registered in 2011 in India resulted in a conviction, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

Protesters have massed in Indian cities daily since the Dec 16 assault, demanding the government and police take sex crimes more seriously. Tougher penalties for offenders and even chemical castration are being considered.

The latest incident, though far from rare in a country where gang rapes are commonplace, has led to deep soul-searching in the media and the country's political class about the treatment of Indian women.

Analysis has focused on the deeply patriarchal Indian society, in which misogyny and sexism run deep and women are often treated as second-class citizens, as well as the difficulty of rape victims in dealing with social stigma and the police.

On Dec 28, it emerged that a 17-year-old girl had committed suicide after police allegedly tried to persuade her to drop a complaint of gang rape and instead either accept a cash settlement or even marry one of her attackers.

There is hope, however, that the Dec 16 attack will serve as a turning point in helping to change social attitudes and lead to greater sensitivity among the police.

Amid daily reports of new horrific sex crimes, a member of the ruling Congress party was detained in the northeastern state of Assam on Thursday after being accused of raping a girl in a remote village, police said.

In scenes played out on national television, village women were seen stripping the lawmaker, Bikram Singh Brahma, and repeatedly slapping him.

The government has set up three separate commissions to look into the New Delhi gang rape and suggest changes in the law. One minister has suggested new anti-rape legislation should be named after the unnamed victim.

The brother of the victim, speaking from the family's home village in northern Uttar Pradesh state, said the family would not object if the government wanted to name a new law after her.

"It will be like a tribute in her memory," he told the Indian Express newspaper, while also pleading that the family be left alone to grieve their loss.

A recent poll found India to be the worst in the G20 group of nations for women because of child marriage, abuse and female feticide, which has led to a badly skewed sex ratio in the country of 1.2 billion people.

AP-AFP