Ram Singh, one of the primary accused in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case, was a bus driver by profession and resident of Ravi Dass Camp, a slum cluster in South Delhi. He lived with his family, including his brother Mukesh Singh, who would later be tried and executed for the same crime. Ram came from a poor background, with limited education and few formal job prospects. He had a history of working in informal sectors, often taking contract work such as driving chartered school buses or construction vehicles.

Before the crime, Singh was known among locals for his aggressive behavior. According to multiple reports from neighbors, jail authorities, and court statements, Ram was often intoxicated and had a volatile temper. Some people who knew him described him as a “habitual drinker” who would regularly get into fights or act violently when drunk. He also had a history of minor altercations and was accused of involvement in earlier acts of harassment, though no formal criminal record was made public.

According to police sources and media investigations, Singh was familiar with all of the other accused in the Nirbhaya case. They were part of his casual social circle. Some had lived nearby or were employed in loosely connected jobs. The juvenile involved in the case, later identified as Mohammed Afroz, worked as a cleaner on the same bus that Ram Singh drove. It was Singh who had access to the private chartered bus used in the crime. 

On 16 December 2012, one of India’s most horrifying and high-profile criminal cases unfolded in South Delhi. Jyoti Singh, a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern, and her friend, Avnindra Pratap Pandey, were returning from a movie at the Select Citywalk Mall in Saket. Unable to find regular public transportation, they were lured onto a private charter bus by a group of men, including the driver Ram Singh, who falsely told them the bus was going toward their destination.

Once the doors closed, the bus diverted from its route, and the couple began to sense something was wrong. When Avnindra protested, he was beaten with a rusted iron rod by the group. Ram Singh allegedly initiated the attack, shouting at his companions and encouraging the use of force. Avnindra was knocked unconscious while Jyoti was dragged to the back of the bus and brutally gang-raped by all six men on board, including Singh.

Reports and court documents describe Ram Singh as the ringleader. Not only did he drive the bus and participate in the rape, but he also orchestrated the use of the iron rod to inflict maximum internal injury on Jyoti. During the assault, Singh continued driving the bus through Delhi’s streets for nearly 45 minutes. The windows were tinted, and the bus appeared normal from outside.

The assault did not end with the rape. After Jyoti was raped repeatedly and tortured, the men inserted the iron rod into her body, causing massive internal bleeding and tearing. Both Jyoti and Avnindra were stripped naked and thrown from the moving bus near Mahipalpur, left to die on the roadside.

They were discovered by a passerby and rushed to Safdarjung Hospital. Despite multiple surgeries, Jyoti’s condition worsened. On 26 December, she was airlifted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where she died two days later on 29 December 2012. Her death sparked national and international outrage.

Ram Singh was arrested within 24 hours of the crime. His fingerprints matched those found on the bus, and he was identified by the surviving victim. Investigators quickly recovered the bus, which still had bloodstains, torn clothing, and the weapon used in the assault. Singh was presented in court alongside his five co-accused.

However, Singh’s trial came to an abrupt end when he was found dead in Tihar Jail on 11 March 2013. Authorities reported that he had committed suicide by hanging himself using a piece of his clothing. His cellmates, jail authorities, and government reports all confirmed the death as a suicide, but questions lingered.

His lawyers and family strongly disputed the suicide claim. They argued that Singh was in a high-security cell under 24/7 watch, and that suicide would have been difficult. His lawyer alleged he may have been murdered by fellow inmates or guards. Several human rights groups also raised concerns over the jail’s security conditions. However, an official judicial inquiry ruled out foul play, and his death was officially classified as suicide.

Because he died before the court could issue a verdict, Ram Singh was never formally convicted, though overwhelming evidence tied him directly to the crime. The remaining four adult accused such as Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, and Pawan Gupta were all sentenced to death and executed by hanging on 20 March 2020.