File image of people protesting the death of the student
The main suspect in the case of the student who was gang-raped and fatally injured three months ago allegedly killed himself in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Monday. (
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Ram Singh was the main accused of five men and a juvenile put on trial for the attack on the 23-year-old student, which triggered nationwide protests and an intense debate about rampant crime against women in India.
"He knew he was going to die anyway because we had and still have such a strong case against him," the student's brother told Reuters. "I wanted him to be hanged ... publicly. Him dying on his own terms seems unfair." His father asked, "How could they let him choose the way he wanted to die? The police have failed and I wonder what will happen to the case now."
The victim's mother said she was shocked to hear of the suicide. "I just wanted justice for my daughter. The main accused is dead. Maybe the guilt killed him," she said to news agency AFP. (
Read: 10 developments in the case)
Tihar Jail is India's highest-security prison and officials there are likely to face tough questions about how such an incident could have occurred.
The trial of the five adult men began in a special fast-track court last month while the juvenile's trial began last week.
The group has pleaded not guilty to rape and murder.
Police allege the six attacked the woman and her male companion on the bus as the couple returned home after watching a movie on December 16. The woman was repeatedly raped and tortured with a metal bar. The couple were also severely beaten before being thrown onto a road.
The woman died of internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later.