Four convicts in Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case were hanged to death at Tihar jail in Delhi early this morning. They are Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Mukesh Singh. The executions were carried out after the convicts exhausted every possible legal avenue to escape the gallows.<br />''<br />''Delhi High Court and Supreme Court last night dismissed a last-minute plea by the convicts, paving the way for the execution. Nirbhaya, a para-medic student, was gangraped by six men in a moving bus in South West Delhi in December 2012.<br />''<br />''This is for the first time that four men were hanged together in Tihar Jail  - South Asia's largest prison complex, which houses more than 16,000 inmates. Another accused killed himself in jail and the sixth –  a juvenile – was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.  <br />''<br />''Reacting to the development, Nirbhaya's parents said that the execution will act as a deterrant for future criminals. They also thanked the Indian judiciary for doing justice to Nirbhaya and millions of women across the country. <br />''<br />''Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said all those involved in the most reprehensible crimes including the Nirbhaya gang-rape case, should be awarded capital punishment. Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said this is a message to all who think they can commit crimes against women and escape the law.<br />