Zeenews Bureau
Singapore: Indian High Commissioner to Singapore TCA Raghavan on Saturday announced with profound grief that the Delhi gang-rape victim who was airlifted here passed away this morning.
Addressing the media, Raghavan added that the deceased and her family will be flown back to India in a chartered flight later today.
The chartered aircraft is expected to arrive Singapore from India between 3 PM and 4 PM (12:30 PM - 1:30 PM IST), he said, adding that the family is yet to decide about their plans for the last rites once the body reaches Delhi.
The Indian high commissioner to Singapore said the formalities, including getting a death certificate, for sending her body were being completed. Once they are done, the body will be flown back. TV cameras showed her body being wheeled out of the hospital before daybreak.
Declining to go into the details of the family, he said they had requested that their privacy be protected.
The Indian High Commissioner to Singapore said the woman's family was "shattered". "It was very trying for the family. The girl of course was unconscious...I must say they (the family) bore the entire process with a great deal of fortitude and a great deal of courage."
Replying to questions on the shifting of the girl from Delhi to Singapore, he said consultations were held between doctors of Safdarjung hospital and Mount Elizabeth Hospital and they must have given full thought to it before taking it.
Asked whether doctors felt that she could have died due to her being shifted from Delhi to Singapore, Raghavan said, "No such sentiments were expressed to me. Both the doctors (PK Verma of Safdarjung and Yatin Mehta of Medanta Medicity) said she was very badly injured in the assault of December 16 night".
"All possible medical efforts were made to treat the injuries. The efforts were not successful in helping her to overcome the injuries," he said.
The cause of her death was "the injuries she sustained" and acute infection.
“She got best possible medical attention. The scale of her injuries was too grave”.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the members of the family of the girl," he said.
The envoy said he has passed on the condolence message of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the family in which he had spoken of the desire to make India a demonstrably better and safe place for women to live in.
Raghavan said the High Commission has received numerous messages from various quarters including the Singapore government deeply mourning the death.
He appreciated the help extended by the Singapore Foreign Ministry, the government and the Mount Elizabeth Hospital for all their support in the last two days.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012, 08:10