Hindu right-winged Shiv Sena activists shout slogans against the gang rape of a young photojournalist, outside a court in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013.NEW DELHI – Police were searching Sunday for a last suspect in the gang rape of a photojournalist in Mumbai after arresting two more men in a case that has fueled debate over whether women can be safe in India.
The victim, a 22-year-old Indian woman, told Indian media she was anxious to return to work after Thursday night’s assault, in which five men repeatedly raped her while her male colleague was beaten and tied up in an abandoned textile mill in the India’s financial capital.
“Rape is not the end of life,” the woman was quoted Sunday by the Times of India as saying. Indian law forbids identifying rape victims by name.
Police were searching for a last suspect and have said they have enough evidence to prosecute the five, including the victim’s testimony and medical samples taken at the hospital after the assault.
It is rare for rape victims to visit police or a hospital immediately after an attack in India, where many cases to go unreported. Women are often pressed by social pressure or police to stay quiet about assault, experts say, and those that do report cases are often subjected to public ridicule and social stigma.