Hang me, says gang-rape accused

"Hang me!" So said an accused in the gang-rape of a young woman Wednesday in a Delhi court which sent him and two others to police remand after all of them admitted their involvement in the crime.

Vinay Sharma, 20, an assistant gym instructor, told the court that he had beaten up the gang-rape victim's male friend but did nothing with the girl and told Metropolitan Magistrate Sandeep Garg: "Hang me!"

"I have committed a horrible crime. I had beaten up the boy. I should be hanged," the man said.

Another accused, Pawan Gupta, a 19-year-old fruit seller, admitted he had "wronged" the woman but did not admit to raping her.

Accused Sharma, Gupta and Mukesh, the brother of co-accused bus driver Ram Singh, in whose vehicle the crime took place, were presented in the Saket court.

Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Agarwal sent Gupta and Sharma to four days' police custody. Mukesh was sent to Tihar jail on 14 days' custody.

Mukesh, after confessing to the crime, agreed to undergo an identification parade. Gupta and Sharma refused to do so.

Gupta told the court that he did not want to undergo the identification exercise as he had committed a "horrible act".

The court said that Mukesh would undergo the identification drill - in which an alleged offender is brought before witnesses and victims - Dec 20 in jail.

The bus driver, who was Tuesday sent to police remand till Dec 23, had refused to undergo the identification parade.

The Delhi High Court took suo moto notice of the gang-rape incident and remarked: "Nobody is safe here." The high court told police to file a report by Friday.

The high court also gave its approval to set up five fast track courts in the city to deal with cases of sexual assault on women.

Chief Justice D. Murugesan, however, said that "unless investigation was conducted properly and witnesses produced during trial, even fast track courts would not serve any purpose, rather it will lead to acquittal within three months".

The rape and torture occurred Sunday night when the woman and her male friend boarded a private bus in south Delhi after watching a movie.

The woman, who hails from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, is on ventilator and battling for life in Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.