Indian home minister calls for law enforcement to tackle rape with an 'iron hand'

NEW DELHI - India's top law enforcement official says the nation needs to crack down on crimes against women with "an iron hand" if it is to prevent rapes and other attacks.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde spoke Friday at a conference of state officials from across India that was called to discuss how to protect women in the wake of a fatal gang rape in the capital last month.

Five men were charged Thursday with murder, kidnapping and rape in that attack on a 23-year-old student who died over the weekend in a Singapore hospital.

Shinde said the nation needed to find more effective ways to enforce the law to protect women.