Gang rape victim’s father wants her named

The father of an Indian student whose brutal rape provoked a global outcry said he wanted her name made public so she could be an inspiration to victims of sexual assault.

His call was quickly taken up by social media users and may pressure authorities to allow the 23-year-old’s identity to be revealed. The physiotherapy student died on Dec 28 in a Singapore hospital, two weeks after a gang rape on a moving bus in New Delhi.

“We want the world to know her real name,” the woman’s father told Britain’s Sunday People newspaper.

“My daughter didn’t do anything wrong, she died while protecting herself,” he added. “I am proud of her.

“Revealing her name will give courage to other women who have survived these attacks. They will find strength from my daughter.”

The paper named the father and his daughter, but said it would not publish a photo of her. Reuters has opted not to identify the young woman.

The father’s interview sparked widespread interest on social networking sites. His daughter’s name was the top trending topic among Indian Twitter users praising his choice to name her.

But mainstream Indian media did not identify the victim, and she was still being referred to as ‘Amanat’, an Urdu word meaning ‘treasure’, by some television channels.

A spokesman for Delhi Police declined to comment on whether authorities would take action against publications or social networks carrying her name.

Last week, politician Shashi Tharoor questioned the merit of keeping her anonymous, and suggested naming new anti-rape law after her, a proposal her father supported.

Indian law generally prohibits the identification of victims of sex crimes to protect their privacy and keep them from the media glare in a country where the social stigma associated with rape can be devastating.

Five men have been charged with gang rape and murder and will appear in a New Delhi court today to hear the charges. Rajiv Mohan, prosecutor, said Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital gave the cause of death as “septicaemia from multi-organ failure due to multiple organ injuries”. Mohan said the prosecution had matched DNA from her blood to blood found on the accused’s clothes, and on hers, which one of the men had allegedly tried to burn.

— Reuters