Delhi gang-rape case: Safdarjung surgeon testifies

A surgeon, who had operated upon the December 16 gang-rape victim, recorded his statement in a fast-track court trying the case behind closed doors.

New Delhi: A surgeon, who had operated upon the December 16 gang-rape victim, on Saturday recorded his statement in a fast-track court trying the case behind closed doors.

Doctor Raj Kumar Chejara, a surgeon from the Safdarjung hospital, recorded his statement as a prosecution witness in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna. Kumar had done surgery on the 23-year-old girl who was allegedly assaulted and gang-raped by the six accused, including a juvenile in a moving bus and was later thrown out on the road to die. Police had alleged that the girl died on December 29 in a Singapore hospital due to grievous injuries she had suffered when she was sexually assaulted by six of them. Today, Dr Kumar was asked about the injuries suffered by the victim and whether they were sufficient to cause her death in ordinary course of nature. The surgeon will be cross examined by the counsel for the four accused next week. The court has summoned for Monday three other doctors, including the head of the team under whose leadership the girl was given treatment, at Safdarjung Hospital to record their statements. With the proceedings against the main accused Ram Singh having abated after his death on March 11, the remaining four accused Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta are facing trial in the case for rape and murder of the girl. The juvenile is facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board. PTI