All six men took turns to assault me, says victim

Students hold candles and placards as they take part in a candle light vigil during a rally in Ahmedabad against the Delhi gang-rape.

Agencies/New Delhi

A student who was savagely gang-raped has begun to recount her ordeal to police, reports said yesterday.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student who had been battling for her life since the assault a week ago, gave her first statement to police late Saturday in the New Delhi hospital where she is being treated.

“All six men took turns to sexually assault me,” the Hindustan Times newspaper quoted the victim as saying to police.

“They threw us on the side of the road where I then fainted,” she added.

Her answers to the questioning appeared to confirm most of the details that officers had already managed to piece together from a statement by her 28-year-old male companion who was also assaulted and thrown off the vehicle.

All six of the alleged attackers have now been arrested and remanded in custody.

Police say the six were drunk and were joy-riding in an off-duty bus with tinted windows when they picked the unsuspecting pair up as they were returning from a night out at the cinema.

The men then took turns in raping the student at the back of the bus, according to police and prosecutors.

During her assault, the victim suffered serious intestinal injuries from being beaten with an iron rod.

She was put back on the ventilator yesterday and her condition remains critical, though she is conscious and communicating, doctors said.

The woman underwent a minor surgical procedure where her abdomen was given a “wash” and the fluid that had collected was drained, according to a bulletin.

The woman’s platelet condition has dipped further, from 41,000 in the morning to 19,000 in the evening - an indication of infection in her blood.

“She has now a platelet count of 19,000... her platelet count is fluctuating, and we gave her two units of platelets,” said a doctor.

“And because she was in distress, she is back on ventilation support,” the doctor added.

She had shown signs of “breathing distress” due to which she was put through an ultrasound and a CT scan, which showed collection of fluid in her abdomen.

“The ultrasound and CT scan showed fluid collection and we decided to do a thorough wash with antibiotics and put a drain, to check infection and to drain out whatever fluid is collecting,” the doctor said.

“She is fully conscious and communicating,” said another doctor, adding that she was being “made to sit up, and given a sip of water... we are also doing exercises of her lower limbs and other physiotherapy.”

The doctors reiterated that the woman was still in the critical period of health, “the critical period is not over yet.”

“We plan to electively continue with the ventilator ..we feel it will help improve her condition...We expect improvement, but she continues to be serious and may need further investigations,” the doctor said.