At a vigil last week in Calcutta, India, the victim was remembered and calls were made for new laws to protect women.
At a vigil last week in Calcutta, India, the victim was remembered and calls were made for new laws to protect women.
Dibyangshu Sarkar /AFP/Getty ImagesHer death has caused outrage in India and around the world.
This morning, The Wall Street Journal adds some texture to the story of the young woman who was raped, beaten, left for dead â€" and later did die â€" last month in New Delhi. Five men and one presumed juvenile have been accused of the heinous crime, as NPR's Juilie McCarthy has been reporting.
The Journal's report, based on "interviews with family and friends," reconstructs details of the shortened life of 23-year-old "Bitiya" (the family's nickname for the victim; it means daughter). She was, the Journal writes, a young woman who wanted to be a doctor but studied physiotherapy instead because her family could't afford medical school.
On the day of her death, she and her mother "cooked lunchâ€"fritters in yogurt, beans, and puffy bread called puri." Bitiya and her siblings "teased each other about who would steal a bite of their father's food."
Later, she went to see the movie Life of Pi with a male friend. He was also beaten by the attackers, who lured the two onto a bus with the promise of a ride home.
We won't pull more from the report because that wouldn't be fair to the Journal. The story isn't behind the newspaper's pay wall. If you're looking to know more about this young woman's life, you might want to put it on your reading list.
