Indian gang rape victim 'fighting for her life' Sex workers, transgender and gay people in Mumbai hold a silent protest against the gang rape of an Indian student in New Delhi. Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA An Indian gang rape victim whose assault in New Delhi triggered nationwide protests earlier this month has suffered "significant brain injury" and is surviving against the odds, the Singapore hospital treating her says. The 23-year-old medical student, who was severely beaten, raped for almost an hour and thrown out of a moving bus on 16 December, was flown to Singapore ten days later for specialist treatment. "The patient is currently struggling against the odds, and fighting for her life," Mount Elizabeth hospital's chief executive officer, Kelvin Loh, said in a statement on Friday. Our medical team's investigations upon her arrival at the hospital yesterday showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen as well as significant brain injury. The woman had undergone three abdominal operations before arriving in Singapore, where her condition on Thursday was described as "extremely critical." Protests over the lack of safety for women erupted across India after the attack on the unnamed woman, culminating last weekend in pitched battles between police and demonstrators in the heart of the capital. The outrage over the case, which caught the government off-guard, triggered a blame game between politicians and the police. "We share the anguish and anger with the country over this heinous crime," the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, told reporters on Friday. Our prayers are with the brave young girl and the best possible medical care is being provided to her. New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures. Government data shows the number of reported rape cases in the country rose by nearly 17% between 2007 and 2011.