The alleged ringleader of the gang accused of raping and murdering a young woman in Delhi last year has reportedly committed suicide in prison.
Ram Singh, the driver of the bus in which the 23-year-old physiotherapy student was allegedly beaten and gang raped, hung himself according to officials from Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
Singh, 35 — according to the Wall Street Journal a regular driver of one of thousands of private buses operating in the capital — was one of five men on trial for murder over the alleged attack Dec. 13.
The 2012 Delhi gang rape case sparked national outrage in India.
Australia’s Fairfax media reported that Singh’s brother, Mukesh, also a suspect and being held in Tihar, had been informed of his death.
Some reports suggested that all five men — who are each facing the death penalty — were on suicide watch. A sixth accused is being tried separately as a juvenile.
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Singh was reportedly found dead at Tihar just after 5 a.m.
He used his own clothes to hang himself, the Associated Press reported, citing jail officials.
The AP cited Singh’s lawyer, AP Singh, as confirming his death but denying that he had killed himself.
“What do you mean killed himself? He has been killed in prison.”
The WSJ cited another lawyer, V.K. Anand, as saying that Singh had “looked cheerful since he met his 5-year-old son in the court” last Friday.
“He was happy with the way the trial was proceeding.”
The AP noted that Indian jails had a reputation for brutal treatment of inmates.
The alleged gang rape brought protesters onto the streets of New Delhi and in other Indian cities, prompting the government to strengthen laws to deter crimes against women.
The father of the rape victim told the WSJ:
“We are feeling a bit relieved with this development. But we really don’t know what more to say right now.”
Reuters quoted her brother, 20, as saying:
“I’m not very thrilled with the news that he killed himself because I wanted him to be hanged … publicly. Him dying on his own terms seems unfair. But, oh well, one is down. Hopefully the rest will wait for their death sentence.”
Another hearing in the trial is scheduled for Monday.
This article originally was published in Global Post.