A man found guilty in a case of rape and murder of a doctor

An Indian court has convicted a man of raping and murdering a trainee doctor in a crime that sparked national outrage.

Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer, was found guilty of the attack, which took place in August last year at a hospital in the city of Kolkata in the state of West Bengal.

The incident sent shock waves across the country, leading to widespread protests and concern over the safety of India’s health workers, especially women.

Judge Anirban Das said the sentence, to be announced on Monday, would range from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Roy maintains his innocence and has previously said he was involved.

The victim’s mother told AFP that people would lose faith in India’s legal system if Roy was not sentenced to death.

The body of the 31-year-old doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found on August 9, 2024. at Kolkata’s bustling RG Kar Government Medical College and Hospital.

After a grueling 36-hour shift, she had gone to sleep in the hospital’s seminar room. Her half-naked, badly injured body was later found near a podium by a colleague.

An autopsy determined the victim had been strangled and had injuries that indicated she had fought back.

According to the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), seen by the BBC, Roy went to the hospital drunk and found the doctor sleeping alone.

He was arrested the day after the crime.

The case was initially investigated by the Kolkata police, but the court later handed over the probe to the CBI after government officials were accused of mismanagement.

For weeks after the incident, doctors and medical students across India held protests and rallies demanding justice and better security for doctors.

One such protest, “Reclaim the Night” March saw tens of thousands of women walk the streets at night in Kolkata and other cities on August 14, the eve of India’s Independence Day.

In December, the victim’s parents petitioned the Calcutta High Court for a fresh probe, expressing lack of faith in the CBI probe.

They argued that Roy could not have committed the crime alone and said they would only be satisfied when all those involved were brought to justice. The Supreme Court said it would consider the plea only if the High Court overseeing the case directs it to do so.

The incident raised concerns about rising cases of violence against healthcare workers in India – many of whom face physical abuse from angry patients or their relatives.

2017 study of the Indian Medical Association found that over 75% of doctors in India have experienced some form of violence. The survey also revealed that nearly 63% of doctors fear potential violence while treating patients.

Meanwhile, sexual violence against women remains a widespread problem in India. More than 31,000 rapes were reported in India in 2022data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) point to.

Many rape cases in India go unreported, largely due to the social stigma surrounding sexual violence and a lack of trust in the police and judicial system. Activists say this often results in shaming the victim instead of the abuser, especially in rural areas.

In 2012 the rape and murder of a female medical student by a group of men in India’s capital, Delhi, drew global attention and sparked similar, wider protests.

Public outrage prompted authorities to amend rape laws in 2013. The changes broadened the definition of the crime, imposed tougher penalties for sexual assault and lowered the age at which a person could be tried from 18 to 16.

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