Delhi gangrape victim Damini cremated

India Today:Neetu Chandra  New Delhi, December 31, 2012 | UPDATED 13:23 IST

The victim's residence in Mahavir Enclave near Dwarka. Left: The doll she used to sleep with.

Jyoti - we are naming the 23-year-old gang rape victim 'Jyoti' because she was the flame that was snuffed out - became silent after Wednesday and never opened her eyes or talked to her family, not even in gestures.

Her family consisting of two younger brothers and parents who were longing for her well-being is submerged in grief after her death. "She last spoke to me on Wednesday at 9.30 pm. I went to see her in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Safdarjung Hospital . She asked me if I had taken my dinner. I answered yes. She then told me that I should sleep. She said, 'aap so jao, main bhi ab soungi' (you go to sleep, I will also sleep). Then she embraced my hand and slept as a tear dropped from the corner of her eye. Those were her last words to me. Thereafter, she never gained consciousness and didn't talk to any of us," said her father.

Her father, a daily-wage loader at the IGI airport, struggles to make ends meet. He has worked double shifts, sacrificing sleep at the age of 55 to earn some extra bucks to submit his daughter's fees studying in a different state.

Different

4 am: An ambulance leaves the Palam technical airport with the girl's body on Sunday.

Different from her contemporaries and those giddy-headed college-goers, the gang rape victim was a sensible and responsible girl. "She always wanted to support her family. She knew that worked hard to earn money and my sons are too young to earn.

She worked in a call centre in Dehradun after her college hours earn. She gave her fees for two consecutive years in her college earning from the call centre. She bought us many gifts and things for the household," said her father.

6.05 am: Another ambulance leaves for the cremation ground with the victim's body.

She used to sleep for four to five hours only. Rest of the time she studied or worked. She was very intelligent. She did her schooling from Janakpuri and topped in her class. She was very stubborn about books no matter how costly those were. I always fulfilled her demands because they were always genuine," he said.

A reason for delight as a daughter and a best friend for her brothers, the victim's death has brought the family a standstill.

Battles are won by attitude, not by emotions," she had messaged her brother who had turned to her for advice a few days before the incident.

"I haven't slept since the incident happened.

I'm missing her voice. She was my best friend.

Whenever I had a problem, I talked to her over the phone for hours. She used to give me the best advice," said her younger brother as he showed the doll which was his sister's favourite.

Born on May 10, 1990, the victim harboured a strong personality.

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"She was very strong. She always said one should never bear atrocities but fight against it. While she was admitted in hospital, she told me that she fought back as hard as she could. She was defending herself by beating and biting them.

She thrashed them and kicked them too. They were boiling in anger by her defence so they decided to kill her. She told me that they were murmuring 'maar do ise' (kill her). They threw her considering she was dead," her brother said.

Hopeful

Her family , however, refused to speak about her relation with the boy who was accompanying her on the fateful day.

"The boy was equally courageous like my sister. She told me that he guarded her until he became unconscious.

6.55 am: Mourners and RAF prsonnel outside the cremation ground.

After he lost his senses, the culprits raped her," her brother said.

The family was pinning high hopes on the doctors that they would save her and never imagined she would die. They think the decision of flying her to Singapore came late. "She could have been saved perhaps, but the decision came late. Mount Elizabeth Hospital had very high standards of hygiene. They could have prevented the infection. Doctors there were very cooperative. I thought she would sail through it but luck was not on her side," he said.