The horrific true crime story behind Netflix's new series Delhi Crime.

Content warning – This post discusses sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers.

On December 16, 2012, Jyoti Singh and her friend Awindra Pratap Pandey got on a bus after watching movie Life of Pi in South Delhi.

It was supposed to be a fun night out. A break from Jyoti’s stressful studies.

But when the pair hopped on the bus home, they soon realised something was very wrong when the bus began taking a different route.

After turning the lights off, all six men on the bus including the bus driver brutally attacked Awindra before beating, torturing and sexually assaulting 23-year-old Jyoti.

Watch the trailer for Netflix series Delhi Crime here. Post continues below…

Afterwards, Jyoti and Awindra were left battered and injured in the middle of the road as the six men destroyed evidence on the bus.

“They hit me with an iron rod and bit me on my entire body with their teeth,” Jyoti told the police, according to The Guardian.

“They took all belongings, my mobile phone, purse, credit card, debit card, watches. [They] raped me in turns for nearly one hour in a moving bus.”

Following the attack, Jyoti underwent five consecutive surgeries after suffering serious wounds to her abdomen and genitals.

Two weeks after the attack, however, Jyoti passed away.

Although severely injured, Awindra survived the attack.

Jyoti’s death sparked public protests worldwide as millions criticised India’s criminal justice system. Online, tens of thousands of people also signed an online petition protesting the incident.

Following public outrage, CCTV footage and mobile phone records were used to locate the  bus driver as well as the five remaining suspects who were on board the bus.

Although the bus driver died in prison in March 2013, the four other adult defendants involved in the attack were sentenced to execution and are still currently on death row. A 17-year-old boy who was involved in the crime was also sentenced to three years in jail. He has since been released.

Now, new Netflix series Delhi Crime is revisiting the horrific case that would change India forever.

The seven-part series, which does not show the scene of the crime, focuses on the police investigation of the attack.

It follows lead officer Deputy Commissioner of Police Vartika Chaturvedi, who is based on real-life investigator Chhaya Sharma, as she attempts to find justice.

Director of the series, Richie Mehta, received permission from the victim's family to tell the story.

"They completely understood what I was doing. I said if they wanted me to stop, I'd stop," he said.

"They were very gracious but also recognised that something positive could come from this."

Online, Delhi Crime has received mixed reviews with many viewers describing feeling "sick" and "terrified" after watching the series.

Do not start to watch #DelhiCrime at night, you won’t be able to sleep.

— Yash Thaker (@BeingYash007) March 23, 2019

I have cried 5 times during 2 episodes of Delhi Crime. This show is the mother of emotional labour.

— Divya Karthikeyan (@divya_krthk) March 22, 2019

On the 1st episode of Delhi crime on Netflix, & couldn’t get past through the entire episode. Burst out into crying after seeing what this world is capable of. We face every fucking day on the road -The stares, the touches, the teasing. There’s no end to it.

— Rukmini Sengupta (@TheBongHandle) March 23, 2019

Episode one of #DelhiCrime done .... emotional

— J-Skillz (@ApnaJSkillz) March 24, 2019

Couldn’t watch Delhi Crime. Sorry. Ended up bursting into tears.

— FrozenMargaritas (@TheFMargarita) March 23, 2019

Delhi Crime is a really hard watch. I'm just two episodes in and I feel exhausted. It is riveting but also heart wrenching. It doesn't glamorise this ghastly crime in anyway that most movies and even documentaries based on similar subject matter do. pic.twitter.com/1Xrjz04RiH

— Adi (@AdityaQuadros) March 23, 2019

Delhi Crime is available to watch on Netflix now.

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.