Delhi gang-rape case: fifth accused arrested

The two men were detained last night from Badayun and Bareilley in Uttar Pradesh. The two have been identified as the cleaners of the bus, police sources said. The two men have been brought to Delhi. Four of the accused - the bus driver Ram Singh, his brother, Mukesh, Vinay, a gym assistant and Pawan or Kalu, a fruitseller - had been arrested earlier in the week.

Mukesh was identified yesterday by the victim's male friend, who was with her when the incident happened. The young man, who too was beaten on the head repeatedly with an iron rod on Sunday evening, reportedly took a minute to identify the accused out of 11 men who were paraded before him at Tihar Jail yesterday. (Read) Three of them, including Mukesh, have also confessed to the crime in court. Ram Singh has refused to participate in a test identification.

Even though the girl's condition has been stated to be stable, her platelet count has gone down. There is also a risk of infection in her liver. (Read) The government has set up a panel of five top doctors who will monitor the treatment of the young victim. They will ensure that she gets the best possible medical attention. The young woman, who is conscious and alert, has been communicating with her family by writing. Yesterday, she asked if her assailants had been caught. (Read: 'Have they been caught?', gang-rape survivor reportedly asked)

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police, which is looking at recording the victim's statement, has been asked to prepare a written questionnaire, which the latter can respond to either in writing or through gestures. She has asked for her mother to be present during that time.

After angry protests in Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said it is time to "turn outrage into action." She has announced the setting up of a round-the-clock control room for women in distress and has promised a stringent law to curb sexual assault on women. (Read: Sheila Dikshit's steps to make Delhi safer for women) Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaisingh has been asked to prepare a draft bill.

The Supreme Court Bar Association has also submitted a memorandum to the office of the Chief Justice of India, seeking the top court's intervention in amending the laws against rape and sexual harassment.

The High Court had, on Wednesday, rapped the city police on its knuckles for its inability to check the crime that went undetected. The bus, which had tinted windows, passed through several police checkpoints without being stopped or searched, as the victim and her friend were subjected to unimaginable horror. The court had also asked Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Sharma to file a report on the probe within 48 hours.

The Delhi Police have collected forensic evidence from the bus used for the gang-rape. Sources say that after stripping the victim and her friend and throwing them semi-naked from the bus, the alleged rapists took it to a secluded spot and washed it to delete blood stains and traces of semen. They burnt the couple's clothes but their shoes and phones were not destroyed and have been recovered by the police.

The bus was owned by a private operator named Dinesh Yadav, who had leased six vehicles to a school. The police will file a case against Mr Yadav since the bus was not parked with him, but was in the custody of the driver, Ram Singh, who is among those arrested. Police say the 33-year-old driver was often drunk. For 10 months, he was assigned to drive the bus. (Read: Bus driver was often drunk, picked fights)

On Wednesday, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde met with senior Delhi policemen to plan better safety for women in Delhi. The police are identifying areas near malls, and markets and will increase patrolling along these routes at night. All vehicles with tinted windows will be impounded. Bus operators have been ordered to post photos of drivers on vehicles. Private buses need to be parked at their owners' premises; owners will be responsible for the vehicles at all times.