Delhi bus gang rape: Uproar in Indian parliament

Delhi has one of the highest rates of crime against
 women in India

There has been an uproar in India's parliament over the gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a city bus in the capital, Delhi.

MPs from all parties have expressed their horror at the incident which has caused outrage in the country.

Police said they have arrested four people, including the bus driver, and are looking for two more people.

The student and her male friend were beaten, stripped and thrown out of the bus on Sunday evening.

They have been admitted to hospital, where the woman remains in a critical condition.

"She continues to be serious. She has responded to us once in the last 12 hours and that is a good sign, but we cannot rule her out of danger. She remains on ventilator," Safdarjung Hospital medical superintendent BD Athani told the BBC Hindi service.

Delhi's rape figures are far higher than other Indian cities of comparable size, correspondents say.

According to official statistics, 572 rapes were reported in Delhi last year. Police say they have registered 635 rape cases this year.

On Tuesday, angry MPs in both houses set aside their regular business to discuss the gruesome rape case and demanded strict punishment for those who carried out the attack.

Senior leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party Sushma Swaraj called for the death penalty for rapists.

- BBC.co.uk