New Delhi (CNN) -- Indian police have arrested three suspects named in a suicide note left by a teenager who claimed she had been gang raped, as anger in the country grows over the rising number of violent crimes committed against women.
The 17-year-old girl died Wednesday after ingesting poison, according to Paramjit Singh Gill, the inspector-general of police in the Patiala district of Punjab in the country's north.
In her suicide note, the girl blamed her alleged rapists for causing her death. Three of the suspects, including a female accomplice, have since been arrested, Gill said.
The unnamed girl claimed she was gang-raped during the Hindu festival of Diwali on November 13. However, a formal case wasn't registered by police until 14 days later.
Two police officers involved in the case have been fired and another has been suspended for their handling of the rape complaint. Gill said an investigation was underway into allegations made by the girl's family that the officers pressured her to withdraw her complaint.
The teenager's death comes after days of mass protests over the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in New Delhi on December 16. The victim in that case died early Saturday.
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An Indian activist gets his head shaven in protest against the Dehli gang-rape in New Delhi on Friday, January 4. A gang of men is accused of repeatedly raping a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi. Police formally charged the five suspects with rape, kidnapping and murder after the woman died.
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Her attackers were alleged to have assaulted the woman and her male companion, robbing them of their belongings before dumping them at the side of a road, according to a police statement. Six suspects are now under arrest, including the bus driver and a minor.
The woman's male companion has since been discharged from hospital, but the violent sexual assault left the woman near death and in need of intensive care.
She was flown to Singapore for treatment on Thursday where doctors described her condition as "extremely critical." She "passed away peacefully" at 4:45 a.m. Saturday (3:45 p.m. ET Friday), with her family and Indian officials at her side, Dr. Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, in Singapore, said in a statement.
"Our medical team's investigations upon her arrival at the hospital ... showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant brain injury," Loh said after the woman had been brought to his hospital.
Authorities haven't released the name of the rape victim, but protesters are calling her "Damini," which means "lightning" in Hindi. "Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of a sexual assault.
The brutal attack triggered a wave of protests that started in the Raisina Hills area of New Delhi on Saturday, and spread to other areas of the city. Demonstrators marched through the streets waving signs that read, "Hang them till death," and "Stop this shame."
Police aimed water cannon at the crowd, after some demonstrators tried to break through the security barriers erected around the government district, parliament building and presidential palace. Protesters claimed they were injured in clashes, and returned to the streets on Sunday shouting anti-government slogans.
More demonstrations were held on Thursday, when elderly and middle-aged women joined younger students to demand greater action and protection. They say the government is not doing enough to address the alarming incidence of rape in India.
Reported rape cases have surged more than tenfold over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.
The government announced plans Thursday to "name and shame" convicted rapists by posting their names, images and addresses on official websites, according to the Times of India.
Read more: Opinion: India's rape problem needs a rewiring of society's attitude
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the safety of women as his government's "highest concern" in a meeting with senior government officials.
"Women and girls represent half the population and our society has not been fair to this half. Their socio-economic status is improving, but gaps persist," he said in a speech Thursday.
"The emergence of women in public spaces, which is an absolutely essential part of social emancipation, is accompanied by growing threats to their safety and security," Singh said.
He reiterated that the December 16 bus rape case would be dealt with in a speedy manner.
"There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population and this participation simply cannot take place if their security and safety are not assured," Singh said.
Seema Sirohi, from the Indian Council on Global Relations, told CNN that most women in India had their own stories of sexual harassment and abuse.
"To be a woman in India is not an easy proposition. Every woman has experienced some kind of abuse on public transportation, lewd remarks on the street. No matter how conservatively you are dressed, you are still open season for the men," she said.
"There are a lot of reasons why this happens, but the patriarchal system is one, a lack of policing is another, and general treatment of women which is not equal to men, even though it may be so under the law," Sirohi added.
The Indian Cabinet plans to set up a commission to look into the rape and suggest measures to improve women's safety. The commission has three months to submit its report to the government.
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Indian lawyers shout during a protest at the entrance to Saket District Court in New Delhi on Thursday, January 3.
About 600 guitarists play John Lennon's "Imagine" in a tribute to the rape victim in Darjeeling on January 3.
Indian women take part in the Women's Dignity March in New Delhi on Wednesday, January 2. Several hundred people participated in the solidarity march organized by the government, which ended at Rajghat, the memorial for Mohandas Gandhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, center, participates in a group prayer during the Women's Dignity March on January 2.
Indian demonstrators perform a prayer ritual in memory of a gang-rape victim in New Delhi on Monday, December 31. The family of the victim said they would not rest until her killers are hanged as they spoke of their own pain and trauma over a crime that has united the country in grief.
A Sri Lankan opposition United National Party activist places her signature on a banner in memory of the Indian gang-rape victim in Colombo on December 31.
Indian protesters hold candles during a rally in New Delhi on Sunday, December 30, following the cremation of the gang-rape victim.
Indian protesters walk with police officials during a rally in New Delhi on Sunday, December 30, following the cremation of a gang-rape victim in the Indian capital. The 23-year-old student died Saturday and was cremated at a private ceremony, hours after her body was flown home from Singapore. She had been gang-raped and severely beaten on December 16, triggering an outpouring of grief and anger across India.
Indian protesters sit by lit candles and hold placards in New Delhi on December 30 during a protest against the gang rape.
Indian residents pray during a gathering in New Delhi on December 30.
Protesters hold candles during a vigil in New Delhi on Saturday, December 29, after the death of a gang-rape victim. Authorities erected security barriers throughout New Delhi's key government district after two days of street battles following a woman's gang rape on a bus on December 16. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm and pledged safety for women and children.
Indian residents hold lighted candles during a rally in Amritsar on December 29.
Students in New Delhi on Thursday, December 27, protest a recent brutal gang rape in the city.
Demonstrators shout slogans and wave placards as they move toward India Gate in New Delhi on December 27.
Riot police keep watch along a sealed-off road near the India Gate monument on Monday, December 24, in New Delhi after weekend clashes between protesters and police.
Police fire tear gas on Sunday, December 23, during a protest calling for better safety for women following last week's rape. Thousands of protesters defied a ban on demonstrations in New Delhi on Sunday, venting their anger about the incident.
Police attempt to disperse protesters on December 23. For a second day, demonstrators were blasted with water cannons in the Indian capital. While some dispersed, others huddled tightly in a circle to brave high-pressure streams in the cold weather.
Demonstrators turn a car over on December 23.
Students chant anti-police slogans during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, on Saturday, December 22, in New Delhi, India. The demonstration was prompted by wide public outrage over what police said was the gang-rape and beating of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in the capital last Sunday.
Demonstrators react from tear gas fired by police on December 22. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012.
Police arrest a demonstrator during a protest on December 22. Sunday's attack sparked furious protests across India, where official data show that rape cases have jumped almost 875% over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011.
Police unleash water cannon and fire tear gas towards demonstrators on December 22.
Demonstrators react as police fire tear gas on December 22.
Indian demonstrators march towards India Gate during the protest on December 22.
Indian demonstrators carry an injured man from the scene on December 22.
Police spray water and fire tear gas towards demonstrators on December 22.
Demonstrators push against a police barricade on December 22.
Students chant anti-police slogans on December 22.
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