6 charged with murder in gang rape of Indian woman NEW DELHI - Police charged six suspects in India with murder Saturday just hours after the victim of a gang rape died, in a case that has sparked violent demonstrations and spurred soul-searching over the nation's treatment of women. Fearful that the streets would erupt anew, officers in riot gear blocked major New Delhi roads, imposed restrictions on "illegal assembly" and shut subway stations as politicians appealed for calm, fearful of a repeat of last week's violent demonstration over the rape that saw police wield tear gas, water cannons and truncheons against an angry crowd. But protests remained peaceful, with hundreds chanting and singing around New Delhi's Jantar Mantar square after word spread that the unidentified 23-year-old victim had died overnight of multiple organ failure at a Singapore hospital. "That girl could have been anyone, you or me," said Damyanti Jena, 26, a computer science student with glasses and braids, holding a "Delhi Is Rape Capital" placard. Why doesn't the government care? We have to speak up, protest, raise our voices. As many wondered whether public anger would prompt fundamental social and legal reforms or dissipate as public attention moved elsewhere, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged citizens to channel their emotions constructively. "It is up to us all to ensure that her death will not have been in vain," Singh said in a statement. Gang rape is common in India, particularly in rural areas. But most cases go unreported in a society where officials periodically suggest that sexual assaults are the victims' fault for being out unaccompanied or dressing provocatively. On Thursday, ruling Congress Party lawmaker Abhijit Mukherjee, the son of India's president, said some of the protesters appeared to be "dented and painted" older women rather than students, an apparent reference to cars that are damaged and retouched. Mukherjee apologized after a public outcry ensued over his remarks. This case touched a deep national nerve in part because there was little blame that even ardent male chauvinists could heap on the victim. On the night of Dec. 16, she saw the film "Life of Pi" with a 28-year-old male companion before they boarded what they assumed was a normal commuter bus. The six men allegedly operating it, however, reportedly took the equivalent of a 20-cent fare, drew the curtains, sexually assaulted the woman and beat both riders with iron rods before dumping them unconscious along the road. The woman also elicited deep empathy because she embodied India's struggle for upward mobility, having moved to Delhi from central Uttar Pradesh state to pursue a career; her family had sold land to get money for her tuition. New Delhi, where the nation's capital is located, is a section of Delhi. Public anger has been directed at the government, which took days to respond and seemed more worried about public fallout than reform, and the police, over what many saw as their incompetence in fighting crime and sexual assault. A rape is reported in Delhi every 18 hours, according to police statistics, the highest incidence of sex crimes among India's major cities. "RIP: India's daughter," and "India's brave daughter," read TV station ticker-tape headlines as her body and family were scheduled to be flown back from Singapore on Saturday evening aboard a chartered aircraft. Some have questioned the decision to move her to Singapore on Thursday when she was already in critical condition. "Several doctors called to say moving critically ill survivor to Singapore dictated by politics not medicine," television anchor Rahul Kanwal said in a Twitter message. Hoping problem would fly away. But Dr. B.D. Athani, superintendent of New Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, where she was treated before the transfer, disagreed. "The pure intention was to save her," he told reporters. As public anger exploded, Indian officials struggled to craft a response, with proposals ranging from knee-jerk - ban curtains in all vehicles - to hard-line, including calls to extend the death penalty in extreme sexual assault cases. The six men arrested in the attack also face rape and kidnapping charges after reportedly telling police they were "looking for fun." The government has promised to fast-track their trial in a country where legal cases often take a decade or longer. The government set up committees to speed up sexual assault trials and to identify systemic lapses, because the bus on which the attack reportedly took place passed through several police checkpoints. Officials also announced plans to post the names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists on official websites to shame them publicly.