All about Nirbhaya case convicts who were hanged on March 20

New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: The four convicts -- Akshay Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- of the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder were hanged to death on Friday at 5.30 am at Tihar Jail in Delhi after a court issued issued a fresh death warrant for them on March 4.   

A Delhi court on March 4 issued a fresh death warrant against all four convicts -- Akshay Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- in the case. The court ordered that the convicts will be hanged till death on March 20, 5.30 am.

Two days after the crime took place, six men were arrested in connection with the incident. They included Ram Singh, the bus driver, and his brother, Mukesh Singh, who were both arrested in Rajasthan. Ram and Mukesh Singh lived in Ravidas camp, a slum in South Delhi.

Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, and Pawan Gupta, a fruit seller, were both arrested in UP and Bihar. A seventeen-year-old juvenile from Badayun, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested at the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi. Akshay Thakur, who had come to Delhi seeking employment, was arrested in Aurangabad. While Ram Singh committed suicide inside the Tihar Jail, the 17-year-old juvenile was released after being sent to a three-year-long reform facility. 

Here is how they executed the horrific act which traumatised the nation’s conscience.

Akshay Singh

Hailing from Bihar, 28-year-old Akshay Singh worked as a helper in the bus. He moved to Delhi in 2011.  Akshay denied that he was in Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012, and had left for his village in Bihar but the claims were clearly false.

He was arrested in Bihar on 21 December - five days after the crime. Along with rape, murder and kidnapping, he was convicted of trying to destroy evidence by helping to wash the bus after the attack. He also submitted absurd argument that air and water pollution in Delhi somehow made the death penalty pointless.

Pawan Gupta

19-year-old Pawan Gupta, a fruit seller and his father denied about his involvement in the case. Pawan's father said he was 'innocent' and left the area in the afternoon before the incident occurred. His father also filed a petition against the lone eye-witness in the incidents that he is taking money to give interviews to the media houses and telling lies. However, the petition was dismissed on January 6 by a Delhi Court.

According to reports, in the days after his arrest, he said in court that he had "done a horrible thing... I have done a bad thing and I should be hanged", but his lawyer later denied he had made the statement.

Vinay Sharma

Twenty-year-old Vinay Sharma, also a resident of Ravi Dass slum was a fitness trainer and was educated enough to even speak in English. Vinay denied his presence on the bus in the court and claimed he was attending a function with Pawan Gupta.

A controversy erupted after his lawyer claimed that no mercy petition was filed by the convict. On December 7, the lawyer for Vinay Sharma withdrew the mercy plea sent to the President of India claiming it was sent without the convict's approval.

Mukesh Singh

Mukesh Singh is the younger brother of Ram Singh who was an occasional driver of the bus. He lived in Ravi Dass slum area with his brother. Mukesh Singh denied that he raped Nirbhaya claiming he was the one who was driving the bus.

He was charged with raping as well as hitting the woman and her boyfriend with an iron rod - charges that he denied. His lawyer claimed that his client had been abused and tortured in jail, charges denied by prison authorities. He has been sentenced to death for the rape of the woman.

Ram Singh

The man described as the main suspect, Ram Singh, was found dead in Tihar jail in March. Police said he had hanged himself, but defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered. He was the alleged driver of the bus on which the 23-year-old woman was raped and her male friend assaulted. He was the first person to be arrested for the 16 December gang rape that shocked India.

Juvenile

The 17-year-old was sent to a three-year-long reform facility as it was the maximum punishment that could be granted to a minor.

Hailing from UP, the young rapist left his house when he was just 11. Being the poorest in the village, his mother sent him to Delhi in hopes of earning money as his father couldn't support the family due to his mental disability. The juvenile has been released and handed over to a facility because of safety issues. There is no record of his existence and has been given a new identity.

As the court issued the black warrants to the convicts, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi after the judgement, said, "My daughter has got justice. Execution of the 4 convicts will empower the women of the country. This decision will strengthen the trust of people in the judicial system".

While her father Badrinath Singh, as quoted by ANI said, "I am happy with the court's decision. The convicts will be hanged at 7 am on 22nd January; This decision will instil fear in people who commit such crimes".

(With agencies INPUTS)