There’s limited public information about Mukesh Singh’s early life such as his upbringing, education, or personal background. What is known is that he lived in Delhi’s Ravidas Camp slum, not far from where the crime took place, along with his brother Ram Singh.

On the night of 16 December 2012, Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student (later known as Nirbhaya), and her male friend boarded what appeared to be a regular bus in South Delhi. Inside, six men, including Mukesh Singh, had plotted to prey on unsuspecting passengers.

The bus roamed the city, and soon the attackers revealed their sinister plan. They beat Jyoti’s male friend with an iron rod, rendering him unconscious. Mukesh Singh, acting as the bus cleaner, struck both the victims violently, aiding in the attack. They then subjected Jyoti to brutal gang rape, torture, and internal injuries so devastating that she later needed parts of her intestines removed in surgery.

After seeing the victims brutally thrown from the moving bus onto the roadside, the attackers tried to cover their tracks before fleeing. Bystanders found the injured pair and rushed them to Safdarjung Hospital, where authorities quickly activated high-level medical intervention, eventually transferring her to Singapore for further care, but she succumbed to her injuries on 29 December 2012.

India erupted in outrage over what was already a national crisis—public protests, candlelight vigils, and demands for legal reform swept the country. This case became a symbol of systemic failure to protect women and ignited calls for justice, speed, and change.

Mukesh Singh and his co-accused went through a fast-track court process, where overwhelming forensic evidence—including mobile phone data, fingerprints, DNA, and bus CCTV footage—firmly tied them to the crime. On 10 September 2013, all adult accused, including Mukesh Singh, were found guilty. The judge emphatically noted the crime had “shocked the collective conscience of India” when handing down the death sentence on 13 September 2013.

During imprisonment, Mukesh notably blamed the victim, suggesting in a BBC interview that “a decent girl” was partly responsible for being raped, and that resistance worsened her fate. He ominously added that future criminals might murder victims rather than leave them alive.

Legal appeals, mercy petitions, and constitutional reviews followed—but none stopped the wheels of justice. On 20 March 2020, Mukesh Singh, along with Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, and Pawan Gupta, was executed by hanging at Tihar Jail in a pre-dawn operation. All reportedly refused last meals or new clothes; they were blindfolded and died by hanging. Mukesh Singh had also expressed a wish to donate his organs before his execution.