In pictures: Protests and mourning over death of gang-rape victim

Members of the student wing of India’s main opposition BJP try to break through a police cordon during a protest after the death of a young woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi on December 16. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo

Indians participate in a candle-lit vigil as the unnamed woman was cremated today. Dar Yasin / AP Phto

An outpouring of anger and grief by millions across the country demanded better protection for women from sexual violence. Amit Dave / Reuters

Policemen stand guard outside the cremation ground during the funeral. A private cremation was held for the 23-year-old physiotherapy student early Sunday morning. Her sobbing father lit the funeral pyre, according to the Press Trust of India. Adnan Abidi / Reuters

The body of the rape victim was brought back to New Delhi from Singapore earlier this morning. EPA

A member of the student wing of the BJP confronts a policemen during a protest in Delhi. Dar Yasin / AP Photo

The leader of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, sought to assure protestors following the victim’s death and said: “It deepens our determination to battle the pervasive, the shameful social attitudes and mindset that allow men to rape and molest women and girls with such an impunity.”

Protests briefly turned violent at Jantar Mantar, an area designated for protests in New Delhi, when a group of protestors tried to breach police barriers. Dar Yasin / AP Photo

A demonstrator wields a stick during a protest in New Delhi. Danish Siddiqui / Retuers

Cries of death penalty for the six men accused of raping the student on the bus have continued. After the death of the girl, they now face murder charges. “Don’t hang them in the privacy of our jails. That will achieve nothing,” said Pranav Jalan, one of the protestors in Delhi yesterday. “Hang them in public and drive home the point.” Raveendran / AFP Photo

An Indian paints during a vigil. Saurabh Das / AP Photo

An Indian protester holds a banner during a rally. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP Photo

Members of India's Aam Aadmi Party candlelight vigil in Amritsar. Narinder Nanu / AFP Photo

Although there are daily reports in the Indian media chronicling sexual assault on women, ranging in age from infants to the elderly, this incident galvanised the nation. The tragedy brought thousands onto the streets across India, and cries to confront the reality of sexual harassment on women. Saurabh Das / AP Photo

From demanding safer public spaces for women, to amending laws for harsher punishments for violence against women to demanding better policing. Saurabh Das / AP Photo