NEW DELHI - In a shocking twist to the Delhi gang rape case, one of the accused in the ongoing trial, Ram Singh, killed himself in New Delhi's maximum security Tihar Jail.

The 33-year-old, whose friends called him 'Mental' because of his volatile temper, was among six suspects in the case. He hanged himself at around 5am local time in jail number 3, raising questions about negligence and lapses on the part of jail authorities in South Asia's largest prison complex. He was due in court today.

Ram Singh's body was taken to a Delhi hospital for autopsy.

The 23-year-old victim, whose brutal rape on a moving bus on Dec 16 had triggered massive protests in Delhi, died of her injuries on Dec 29 in a Singapore hospital, where she was flown for treatment.

The other accused include Ram Singh's brother brother Mukesh, 26, Pawan Gupta, 19, Vinay Sharma, 20 and Akshay Thakur, 28.

A sixth accused who is a juvenile is facing proceedings in a juvenile court.

Ram Singh was the driver of the bus and was seen as the main instigator of the rape. According to the police it was Ram Singh who decided to take the bus out for a joyride. According to the police, the school dropout was the leader of the group.

He was facing several charges including abduction, murder, rape and destruction of evidence in the high profile case, which is being heard on a day to day basis in a fast track court in Delhi.

The case forced the government to take quick action like setting up fast track courts to handle serious sexual offences in Delhi. The government had promised a speedy trial in the case