People protesting the gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi observed a "black day" Thursday to mourn her and express solidarity with other rape victims as they accused the police of dragging their feet on the investigation.
Demonstrators, many of them students, gathered throughout the day in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar area, the focal point of more than two weeks of demonstrations and vigils in the Indian capital.
"The victim has died leaving the country's conscience shaken, yet our police force is slow," said Balwinder Singh, a regular at the protest site. "It should speed up its investigations."
The demonstration came on a day when the police were expected to charge five suspects in the December 16 attack, but the charges were delayed as investigators prepared the charge sheet and evidence.
A sixth accused has claimed to be a juvenile, and medical tests were being conducted to ascertain his age.
The victim, a physiotherapy student, was repeatedly raped on a moving bus in New Delhi. She died Saturday after undergoing several surgeries, including one to remove part of her intestine.
Protesters in Jantar Mantar, where hundreds of police in riot gear provided security, said they were determined to get justice for the woman and demanded capital punishment for the perpetrators.
"We want quick justice in this case and won't stop agitating 'till the time we get it," demonstrator Puneet Bakshi told the IANS news agency.
Protests demanding measures to ensure women's safety and stricter laws for sexual crimes against women have broken out across New Delhi and other Indian cities since the crime.
The government has initiated a number of measures, including police night patrols, campaigns against drunken driving and checks on bus drivers. It has also set up a committee under a retired judge to recommend changes to the anti-rape laws.