A court in India has convicted a man for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a crime that has sparked outrage across the country.
Sanjay Roy, a volunteer hospital worker, was convicted of the attack that occurred in August last year at a hospital in Kolkata in West Bengal state.
The incident sent shockwaves across the country, leading to widespread protests and concerns about the safety of India's healthcare workers, especially women.
Judge Anirban Das said the sentence, which will be announced on Monday, will range from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Roy has maintained his innocence and previously said he had been charged.
The victim's mother told Agence France-Presse that people would lose confidence in the Indian legal system if Roy was not given the death penalty.
The body of the 31-year-old doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found on August 9, 2024 at the crowded state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
After a grueling 36-hour shift, I went to sleep in the hospital's seminar room. Her half-naked and seriously injured body was later discovered near the platform by a colleague.
A post-mortem examination showed that the victim had been strangled and had injuries that showed she had resisted.
According to the indictment filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which was seen by the BBC, Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the doctor sleeping alone.
He was arrested a day after the crime.
The Kolkata Police was initially investigating the case, but the court later handed over the probe to the CBI after accusing state officials of mishandling it.
For weeks after the incident, doctors and medical students across India held protests and marches to demand justice and better security for doctors.
One of these protests, “Reclaim the Night” The march saw tens of thousands of women march through 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 investigation, expressing lack of confidence in the CBI investigation.
They said that Roy alone could not have committed the crime and stated that they would be satisfied only when all those involved are brought to justice. The Supreme Court said it would not consider the petition unless the Supreme Court – which is monitoring the case – ordered it to do so.
The incident has raised concerns about rising cases of violence against health workers in India – many of whom face physical assault at the hands of angry patients or their relatives.
A 2017 survey by the Indian Medical Association found that more than 75% of doctors in India had 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 lakh rape cases were reported in India in 2022According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Many rape cases in India go unreported, mostly due to social stigma associated with sexual violence and lack of trust in the police and judicial system. Activists say this often leads to shaming the victim rather than the perpetrator, especially in rural areas.
In 2012, the rape and murder of a medical student by a group of men in the Indian capital, Delhi, sparked global attention and sparked similar, broader protests.
Public outrage prompted authorities to amend rape laws in 2013. The changes broadened the definition of the crime, established tough penalties for sexual assault, and lowered the age at which a person could be tried from 18 to 16.
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