KATHMANDU: Four Indian men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi in 2012 have been executed.

Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were sentenced to death in the capital’s high-security Tihar prison at 5:30 am in the first executions in India since 2015.

Responding to the execution, the mother of Nirbhaya has heaved a sigh of relief and thanked all those who helped provide justice to her daughter.

“I would like to thank all the concerned including media, judiciary and the President. The seven-year-long rigorously-waged struggle culminated in justice for Nirbhaya. My daughter got justice, finally,” said Nirbhaya’s mother.

Commenting on the execution, Nirbhaya’s father said this punishment has given hope to all Indian women about safe environment, BBC reported.

Many people including the members of National Commission for Women, India have welcomed the execution.

The victim had died from her injuries days after being raped by six men on a moving bus. The incident caused outrage across India, leading to new anti-rape laws in India.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student was dubbed Nirbhaya – the fearless one – by the press as she could not be named under Indian law.

Ram Singh, one of among those six arrested for the attack was found dead in jail in March 2013 while another, who was 17 at the time of the attack, was released in 2015 after serving three years in a reform facility.

(With inputs from Agencies)