Gang-rape trial begins in India

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The trial of five men accused of the rape and killing of a woman opened in New Delhi with the judge's denial of a defense motion to make the trial public.

The high-profile case, being tried in a special fast-track court, has provoked protest, government panels, calls for reform and soul-searching on the treatment of women in India, the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.

The victim was a 23-year-old physiotherapy student who attended a movie with a 28-year-old male friend, then boarded what they thought was a commuter bus home. Aboard the bus, with window curtains drawn, they were beaten by assailants with metal rods, and the woman was raped so brutally she suffered internal injuries. The couple was later dumped naked along the road.

The victim died two weeks later, the newspaper reported.

A sixth suspect in the gang-rape case is arguing he is a juvenile and will likely be tried in a juvenile court.

Opening arguments began Thursday after Judge Yogesh Khanna denied the motion to make the proceedings public. Police kept journalists away from the court room, in keeping with restrictions routinely applied in rape cases in India, the newspaper said.