Delhi gangrape case: bone test being conducted to determine if youngest accused is juvenile

A bone test is being conducted to confirm the age of a juvenile suspect in custody for the murder and gangrape of a young woman, while prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the other five men arrested with him, police said on Tuesday.

The six will be formally charged in court on Thursday on accusations that they kidnapped, gangraped and murdered the 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told reporters.

Media reports say some 30 witnesses have been gathered and the charges have been detailed in a document running into more than 1,000 pages. Outraged people have been demanding the death penalty for the six men, holding demonstrations almost every day since the December 16 incident.

Murder is punishable by death and rape by life imprisonment. But juveniles - those below 18 years of age - cannot be prosecuted for murder.

Another police officer said a bone test is being conducted to determine if the youngest suspect in the case is indeed a juvenile.

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose sensitive information.

The brutality of this case has made people confront the reality that sexual violence is deeply entrenched in the society. Women face daily harassment, from groping in buses to rapes at homes. Often police refuse to accept complaints by victims and even blame them for inviting unwanted male attention by dressing provocatively.

The victim was airlifted to Singapore for emergency treatment but died on Saturday. She was cremated in New Delhi on Sunday, and the ashes submerged in the holy river Ganges near her hometown in Uttar Pradesh state.

Protesters and politicians from across the spectrum called for a special session of Parliament to pass new laws to increase punishments for rapists - including possible chemical castration - and to set up fast-track courts to deal with rape cases within 90 days.

Thousands of people have lit candles, held prayer meetings and marched through various cities and towns to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment.

The protests continued on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Indian Army and Indian Navy cancelled their New Year's celebrations, as did Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party. Several hotels and clubs across the capital also did not hold their usual parties.