An Indian court on Saturday found a volunteer police officer guilty of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a crime that sparked nationwide protests and hospital strikes last year as concerns resurfaced about a lack of safety for women.
The murder of the 31-year-old doctor while on duty at a hospital in the eastern city of Calcutta last August once again highlighted the chronic problem of violence against women in the country. The process in the case was expedited by India’s notoriously slow legal system and arguments began in November.
Judge Anirban Das said the sentence for 33-year-old Sanjay Roy would be announced on Monday and could range from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
Police discovered the woman’s bloodied body in the seminar hall of the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. A later autopsy revealed the victim had been strangled and confirmed a sexual assault.
Roy was arrested the day after the crime. Since then, he has consistently maintained his innocence and declared in court that he was not guilty.
The case was initially investigated by the Kolkata Police, but the court later handed over the probe to federal investigators after state government officials were accused of mishandling the investigation.
Following the murder, doctors and medical students across India staged protests and rallies demanding justice and greater security for them. Thousands of women across the country also protested in the streets, demanding justice for the victim while taking part in “Reclaim The Night” marches. Some demonstrators called for the death penalty for the perpetrator.
The rape and murder of a medical trainee has sparked massive protests in India. Medical experts are demanding more from the government to ensure the safety of workers.
The crime highlighted rising sexual violence against women in India and prompted India’s Supreme Court to set up a national task force to suggest ways to improve security measures in government hospitals.
Many cases of crimes against women go unreported in India due to the stigmatization of sexual violence and lack of trust in the police. Women’s rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where communities sometimes shame victims of sexual assault and families worry about their social status.
Nevertheless, the number of registered rape cases in the country has increased. In 2022, police registered 31,516 rape reports – a 20 percent increase from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
In 2012, the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi sparked massive protests across India. It inspired lawmakers to mandate harsher punishments for such crimes and create fast-track courts for rape cases. The government also introduced the death penalty for repeat offenders.
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.
