The male companion of the 23-year-old Indian woman who died last week from injuries suffered in a brutal beating and gang rape on a bus in New Delhi has told an Indian television network about their ordeal.

The man said Friday that it took 25 minutes for anyone to stop and help them after they had been dumped naked on the side of the road.

He said when the police arrived the officers spent time arguing about who had jurisdiction over the crime.

The interview on Zee TV marked the first time the man, who has not been named, has spoken publicly about the December 16 attack.

He said a police van, not an ambulance, carried him and his friend to a hospital, where he said he sat naked on the floor for hours without receiving any medical attention.

The unidentified woman died last Saturday in a hospital in Singapore, where she had been taken for treatment.

The man and his female friend were both beaten with a rod on the bus. The woman was raped and a rod was used in the rape.

Indian authorities have charged five men with murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges in the December 16 attack. Officials say they will push for the death penalty if the men are convicted.

A sixth suspect is under 18 and will be tried separately in a juvenile court.

The father of the rape victim has backed calls for a hanging.

The woman's rape and death have sparked outrage across the country. Protesters have called for tougher rape laws, major police reforms and a transformation in the ways the India treats women.

India has set up a so-called “fast-track” court to try the men accused of the gang rape and murder of the woman. The fast-track court is one of five being set up in New Delhi, known by some as the “rape capital” of India. The courts will hear cases of sexual assault and other crimes against women in an effort to bypass India's overwhelmed regular court system, where cases can often take many years to be resolved.