India has scaled back New Year celebrations to mourn the death of the Delhi gang rape victim.

The army cancelled all official celebrations as have Punjab and Haryana states. Sonia Gandhi also announced she will not be celebrating. Celebrities also announced they would cancel or tone down planned events and clubs, hotels and citizens decided to cancel plans to celebrate.

Meanwhile protests continued in Delhi where the 23-year-old medical was cremated.

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Ratan Tata who turned 75 on Dec 28 has retired as chairman of the Tata Group after a 50-year run. Chairman designate Cyrus Mistry will take charge shortly. Mistry was groomed for the assignment by Tata for a year.

Tata who lead the group for 21 years after he was chosen as successor by his uncle JRD Tata, is known to have transformed the group through bold decisions and large global acquisitions. Mistry hails from the Shapoorji Pallonji family, the largest private shareholder in Tata Sons. He was chosen by a five-member panel last year to succeed Ratan Tata.

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Against the backdrop of the death of the gang rape victim, people in Delhi decided to organise a New Year street party on behalf of the Citizen's collective against sexual assault and to mark solidarity with women's rights and safety, and promote safety on the streets.

The event was held from 10.30 pm to 1 am on New Year's eve.

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Congress has prepared a bill, the final draft of which is to be submitted to a committee set up by the Centre, in the wake of the deadly gang rape of the young student who died as a result.

Some provisions of the bill for a tougher law includes imprisonment for up to 30 years for rapists, chemical castration in rare cases, and the set up of fast track courts to decide cases within 3 months. There is also a suggestion to re-define the Juvenile Act and lower the age, given that one of the rapists is a juvenile aged a few months less than 18 years. A view has been put forward that only those below age 15 should be described as juvenile.

The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, that has framed and helped frame many landmark legislations is likely to be involved in the exercise.

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A doctor at the hospital where Nirbhaya, the Delhi gang rape victim was being treated, questioned the decision to move her to Singapore, saying it was a directive from the government and not a medical decision.

One doctor at the AIIMS trauma centre said moving the victim who had suffered irreversible brain damage, after two consequent cardiac arrests and septicemia was ethically and morally wrong and dismissed government claims that the Singapore hospital was chosen for its organ transplant facility. He said the girl was at best an organ donor not a recipient.

One doctor who was part of the team that accompanied Nirbhaya to Singapore refused to comment on whether the decision to fly her to Singapore was the best one. Another doctor said the decision was taken in the best interest of the patient.

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