Man found guilty in
\n Kolkata
\nA court in India has convicted a man of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor – a crime that sparked nationwide outrage.
\nSanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer worker, was found guilty over the attack, which happened in August last year at a hospital in Kolkata city in West Bengal state.
\nThe incident caused shockwaves across the country, leading to widespread protests and concerns over the safety of healthcare workers in India, especially women.
\nJudge Anirban Das said the sentence, which will be announced on Monday, would range from life in prison to the death penalty. Roy has maintained his innocence and said previously that he was being framed.
\nThe victim\u2019s mother told the AFP news agency that people would lose faith in India\u2019s legal system if Roy was not handed the death penalty.
\nThe body of the 31-year-old doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found on 9 August 2024 at at the busy, state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
\nAfter a gruelling 36-hour shift, she had gone to sleep in the hospital\u2019s seminar hall. Her half-naked, severely injured, body was later discovered near a podium by a colleague.
\nThe post-mortem examination found the victim had been strangled and had injuries showing she fought back.
\nAccording to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which the BBC has seen, Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.
\nHe was arrested a day after the crime.
\nThe case was initially being investigated by the Kolkata police but later the court handed over the probe to the CBI after state officials were accused of mishandling it.
\nFor weeks after the incident, doctors and medical students across India held protests and rallies demanding justice and better security for doctors.
\nOne such protest, the \u201cReclaim the Night\u201d march, saw tens of thousands of women walk through the streets at night in Kolkata and other cities on 14 August, the eve of India\u2019s Independence Day.
\nIn December, the victim\u2019s parents petitioned the Calcutta High Court for a fresh investigation, expressing a lack of faith in the CBI\u2019s investigation.
\nThey argued that Roy alone could not have committed the crime and stated they would be satisfied only when all those involved were brought to justice. The high court has said it will consider the plea only if the Supreme Court – which is monitoring the case – directs it to do so.
\nThe incident raised concerns about rising cases of violence against health workers in India – many of whom face physical abuse by angry patients or their relatives.
\nA 2017 survey by 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.
\nMeanwhile, sexual violence against women remains a widespread problem in India. More than 31,000 rapes were reported in India in 2022, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
\nMany rape cases in India go unreported, mostly due to social stigma around sexual violence and a lack of trust in the police and judicial system. Activists say this often results in the victim being shamed instead of the perpetrator, especially in rural areas.
\nIn 2012, the rape and murder of a medical student by a group of men in India\u2019s capital Delhi drew global attention and triggered similar, wider protests.
\nThe public anger prompted authorities to amend rape laws in 2013. The changes broadened the definition of the crime, set strict punishments for sexual assault and lowered the age at which a person can be tried from 18 to 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Man found guilty in Kolkata A court in India has convicted a man of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor – a crime that sparked nationwide outrage. Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer worker, was found guilty over the attack, which happened in August last year at a hospital in Kolkata city in West […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-456249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n