The emotional parents of the Delhi gang rape victim have said justice will be finalized when they watch the men who killed their daughter hang.
Badri Singh, 53, and his wife Asha Devi, 46, have spoken exclusively after their long battle for justice ended with the death sentence for the men who took the life of their daughter, Jyoti Singh, 23, so brutally.
Badri said Mukesh Singh, 26, Vinay Sharma, 20, Akshay Thakur, 28, and Pawan Gupta, 19, looked terrified as they were sentenced to death at Saket Court, in New Delhi, on Friday afternoon after brutally raping and killing their daughter on a bus on December 16th, last year.
‘When the judge announced the death penalty I stared right at them and I saw the fear of death in their eyes. Two of them were crying even. But I wasn’t bothered and I had no sympathies. I will never forgive or forget what they did to my daughter. They’re now paying the true price for what they chose to do that night,’ he said.
He believed the eight-month trial was as fair as it could be, and he and the family felt justice has been served.
He added: ‘It was a fair trail. These convicted men were given more than enough chances to defend themselves. To be fair I don’t have any complaints about the trial. Even the police did a good job and there was hard evidence against them. There was no other option than for them to face the death sentence.
‘My heart was in my mouth waiting for the judge’s words. I was sure they’d get death but then I also understood the judge had to follow the law so I had some doubts in my mind. But when I heard the word hang, I felt so relieved. It was definitely like a battle won.’
Asked if he’d watch his daughter’s killer hang, he said: ‘When my daughter took her last breathe my only wish from that day forward was to see her killers hanged from the gallows. And if the law permits I would want to be there and look into their eyes, watch them wriggle and beg for their life. They are not humans, what they did to my girl; they don’t deserve to be treated like humans. My happiness about their death sentence is no revenge but it had to be the only verdict, it’s the price they now have to pay for such brutal inhumane crimes.’
My heart was in my mouth waiting for the judge’s words
Mum Asha now believes the real time to grieve her daughter will begin. She said: ‘From the moment she was taken from us we have been fighting this case. It was our reason to get up in the morning and the reason to leave the house and keep fighting. We were fighting for justice, to make sure our daughter got what she wanted, what she deserved.
‘But now, what is left? Just emptiness. When I wake up in the morning now, there will be nothing to do and I will be reminded more than ever that she is not here; she is not with us. I fear the days ahead will be the darkest ever.’
Asha can still remember the last conversation with her daughter like it was just yesterday. ‘Our last words are with me every day. I remember trying to make her eat. But she was in so much pain she couldn’t even eat a spoonfull. I was begging her to eat just something but she wouldn’t and she kept telling me to sit and hold her hand instead. That was the day before she was moved to Singapore. After that she didn’t speak again.’
During their time together in hospital Jyoti told her mother everything about the incident and those details will haunt Asha for the rest of her life. ‘She told me everything. I shiver when I think about them. I can’t tell you what they did to her, it’s just too awful, words cannot explain the horror, but she cried every time she mentioned the incident. I cannot forget how disgustingly brutal they were.
‘She kept saying her only wish was to see them hanged. I know this result will help her be in peace now.’
Asha now clings onto her favoured memories of her oldest and only child. She treasures the typical mother and daughter times they had.
‘There isn’t a single moment I don’t miss her. She was a huge part of my life. We had a wonderful mother and daughter relationship. I really don’t know how I’m going to go on without her. She was a loving, caring and very good daughter, never brought any troubles to our door. She was our oldest, so parents always have high hopes for their first child, and she never disappointed,’ she said.
Badri and Asha lost their very first child soon after its birth, and when Jyoti was born she too was rushed to intensive care. The first month of her life was touch and go but she fought to go on and live. ‘She was born a fighter and was always a fighter. Even when she was dying in hospital she was sure she would recover and start again. She kept telling us: ‘I’ll be fine; when I get out we’ll start again,’ that was the type of girl she was.’
But Jyoti’s main aim in life was to study hard to get a good job and change the fortunes of her family. ‘She carried a great burden on her shoulders, a huge responsibility. She felt very responsible for her family’s future and she wanted to play a role in changing our fortunes. She made sure every day would bring her closer to making a success of herself and securing a good job,’ she added.
And Jyoti’s brothers, Gaurav, 20, and Saurav, 15, will fulfill their sister’s dreams and also go to college. Guarav hopes to start an engineering course next term.
Badri and the family will now attempt to continue with their lives, made just a little bit easier, knowing the legacy Jyoti has left. ‘She has given hope of change to India. I feel her life has been sacrificed to teach the world that rapes and this kind of behaviour cannot go on. Her death has been a message to the world and an inspiration to women from all walks of life. We have no idea what our future holds now, but I am proud of my daughter and her lasting legacy.’
