India Gang-Rape Victim Flown To Singapore Hospital, May Need Organ Transplant

A 23-year-old woman who was gang-raped on a bus in Delhi and left with severe internal injuries has now been flown to a Singapore hospital for treatment.

The victim arrived in Singapore in an air ambulance and was admitted to the Mount Elizabeth hospital, which is renowned for its state of the art multi-organ transplant facilities, said The Guardian.

In a public statement, the hospital said she was admitted to the intensive care unit “in an critical condition” and was “being examined and the hospital is working with the Indian High Commission.”

The rape took place on December 16. Since then, nearly daily protests across New Delhi, Manipur, and other parts of the country have accelerated calls for the death penalty for rapists. At present, the crime is punishable by sentences of up to life in prison.

Six men have been arrested over the gang rape, and two police officers were subsequently suspended. An inquiry into these events is now under way and is being led by retired judge Usha Mehra, the BBC reports.

This latest rape has highlighted an endemic problem of unwanted sexual attention that Indian women face daily in cities and towns. According to The Guardian, many rape victims rarely come forward because of the social stigma attached.

Officials have said the medical student was traveling with a male friend on a bus when they were attacked by six men. After the attack, the men beat the couple with iron rods, stripped them of their clothes, and threw them off the bus as it was moving, said the BBC.

After they were found by bystanders, they were taken to New Delhi’s Safdarjang hospital. The bus, which was reportedly empty apart from the attackers and the couple, drove through the city for hours during the assault and even passed through police checkpoints, The Guardian reports.

The extent of the young woman’s injuries are horrific. The Press Trust of India quoted a hospital medical superintendent — BD Athani — as saying the woman suffered severe intestinal and abdominal injuries. She has already undergone three surgeries and parts of her intestines have been removed. The woman was kept on ventilator support during her 10 day stay in Safdarjang hospital.

According to The Guardian, the Press Trust of India said the Indian government is covering the woman’s medical expenses. Reportedly, her mental outlook is “composed” but periodic bouts of infection are a cause for concern.