NEW DELHI - Five men were formally charged in court on Thursday with the gang rape and murder of an Indian physiotherapy student, in a case that has generated widespread anger about the government's inability to prevent violence against women.The December 16 attack on the 23-year-old physiotherapy student and a male companion provoked furious protests close to the seat of government in New Delhi and has fueled a nationwide debate about the prevalence of sexual crimes in India, where a rape is reported on average every 20 minutes.The five men are accused of assaulting the 23-year-old on a bus in New Delhi, leaving her with such severe injuries that she died two weeks later, in hospital in Singapore, where she was taken for treatment.A sixth accused is under 18 and is due to be tried separately in a juvenile court.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)