An Indian court on Monday sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison after finding him guilty in the rape and killing of a trainee doctor last year, a crime that sparked nationwide protests over inadequate safety for women and led to a speedy trial in the country’s slow-moving justice system.
Sanjay Roy, 33, who has consistently maintained his innocence, can appeal the judgment in a higher court.
The family of the doctor broke into tears, saying they were “shocked” at the sentence and had hoped her murderer would be hanged. But Judge Anirban Das said the case did not deserve the death penalty as it was not “the rarest of the rare cases,” and ordered that Roy must spend his life behind bars.
The killing of the 31-year-old physician while she was on duty at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the country. Police discovered the woman’s bloodied body at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital’s seminar hall last Aug. 9. An autopsy found she had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
Federal police, who investigated the case, said the crime deserved the death penalty. Parents of the victim had also sought the death penalty for Roy and said they suspected more people were involved in the crime.
Bikas Das / AP
The case was initially investigated by Kolkata police but later the court handed over the probe to federal investigators after state government officers were accused of mishandling the investigation.
After the assault, doctors and medical students across India held protests and rallies demanding better security. Thousands of women also protested in the streets demanding swift justice for the victim.
Indian doctors in government hospitals across several states also staged a strike to protest the rape and murder.
Roy was arrested a day after the crime, and arguments in the case began in November. The assault prompted India’s Supreme Court to set up a national task force to suggest ways to enhance safety in government hospitals.
The victim’s mother and father, who were seated close to Roy in court on Monday, have said they wanted Roy to be executed.
“We are shocked by the verdict,” the victim’s father told AFP, tears running down his face.
“We will continue our fight, and won’t let investigations stop… Come what may, we will fight for justice.”
Family members cannot be identified in keeping with Indian law around the reporting of sexual violence cases.
Before the sentencing, Roy on Monday again insisted he was innocent and that he had been “framed”.
Roy’s lawyer, Kabita Sarkar, said he was “not mentally stable” and that they would appeal.
Police stopped several processions from reaching the court, but thousands gathered nearby with many chanting: “Hang him, hang him.”
Many cases of crimes against women go unreported in India due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence, as well as a lack of faith in the police. Women’s rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where the community sometimes shames victims of sexual assault and families worry about their social standing.
The nationwide outrage and protests were similar to those seen after the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus. That vicious attack prompted India to enact tougher laws against sexual violence, but according to the latest available government data, as recently as 2022 authorities were still registering about 90 rapes on average per day.
Samir Jana/Hindustan Times/Getty
The government also introduced the death penalty for repeat offenders. Four men sentenced to death for the 2012 crime were hanged in 2020.
The rape law amended in 2013 also criminalized stalking and voyeurism and lowered the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16.
Activists say new sentencing requirements haven’t deterred rapes and the number of recorded rape cases has increased. In 2022, police recorded 31,516 reports of rape – a 20% jump from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Just last week, police in southern India arrested 49 of 64 men accused of sexually abusing an 18-year-old girl over the last five years. The girl, who has not been identified, has reportedly told investigators that she was sexually abused and gang raped multiple times since the age of 13.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
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