Four Indian men convicted of the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman on a bus in New Delhi, were put to death Friday morning.

The four -- Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur and Pawan Gupta -- were sentenced to death on Sept. 13, 2013, for the murder of the 23-year-old medical student, who was raped and violated with an iron rod inside a moving bus in south Delhi on the night of Dec. 16, 2012.

She died in a Singapore hospital from massive internal injuries on Dec. 29 that same year.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter following the execution, saying, "Justice has prevailed." He said, "It is of utmost importance to ensure dignity and safety of women."

In the months leading up to the execution, the convicts had filed petitions with the country's Supreme Court in a bid to reduce their sentences to life imprisonment. But the top court denied their petitions, leaving the four men with no other legal recourse.

They also made last-minute appeals to delay the executions, which were also rejected just hours before they were put to death.

(Asha Devi, mother of the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim, speaks to media after a hearing at Supreme Court on March 16, 2020 in New Delhi, India.)
[Hindustan Times/Getty/Kyodo]

"I am happy with the decision, and I am glad that this day finally came and I am sure that with this decision, females in our country would feel safe as justice has been served," said Shweta, a civilian who had been waiting outside Tihar Jail for the execution to take place.

"The law in India is very lenient and, because of that, people in our country don't think before committing any crime, so this decision is an answer to all those who think they can do anything," said Mitin, another civilian who was part of the group that had gathered outside the prison on execution morning.

Originally, there were six accused. One of them, Ram Singh, committed suicide inside his prison cell on March 11, 2013. Another, Raj Mohammad, who was a minor at the time of the offenses, was sentenced by a juvenile court to three years inside a special reformatory home.

The case, which evoked nationwide outrage, led to the introduction in March 2013 of tough new anti-rape laws, allowing the death penalty to be handed down in the most serious cases. It also led to the formation of fast-track courts for trying sexual offenses.

"I hugged my daughter's photograph and told her we finally got justice," said the victim's mother following the execution according to Indian media.

The physiotherapy student was dubbed as Nirbhaya, the Fearless One, by Indian media, as her name could not be revealed according to Indian law.


Related coverage:

Past special courts for leprosy patients in Japan ruled unconstitutional

Man in 2016 care home rampage says he will not appeal ruling

Sweden's sexual offense law holds key to amending Japan's law

"Flower Demo" fighting sexual violence in Japan