The companion of the woman who was raped and then killed in the horrific Delhi bus attack last year, appeared in court today to become the first witness to testify against the five suspects being tried for her murder. The 28-year-old, unidentified man was at the movies with the 23-year-old medical student on December 16, when they got on what they believed was a private bus line, where they were both attacked and the woman raped for several hours. He was also severely beaten and left for dead on the side of the road, but unlike the women, who suffered massive internal injuries, he managed survive.

The man, who is still in a wheelchair because of the attack, was the only witnesses to testify on Tuesday and will come back on Wednesday to be cross-examined. The judge in the case issued a gag order forbidding journalists from talking to the witness or revealing details of his testimony, but his father told reporters that he was able to identify the actual bus that the men were driving that night.

The case has continued to spark an incredible movement in defense of women's rights in India, where harrassment and rape are far too common. Many Indians were pleasantly surprised to find this full-page ad in the country's largest paper on Monday, where the Times of India took an usually public stance against culture of misogyny and entitlement that continues to affect women across the country.

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Dashiell Bennett