An Indian court on Saturday found a police volunteer guilty of the rape and murder of a medical trainee – a crime that sparked nationwide protests and hospital strikes last year amid renewed concerns about women's lack of safety.
The murder of a 31-year-old doctor while she was on duty at a hospital in eastern Kolkata in August last year once again highlighted the chronic problem of violence against women in the country. The trial in the case moved quickly due to India's notoriously slow legal system, with arguments beginning in November.
Justice 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 found the woman's bloody body on August 9 in the city's RG Kar medical school and a seminar room at the hospital. A later autopsy revealed that the victim had been strangled, confirming sexual assault.
Roy was arrested the day after committing the crime. Since then, he has consistently maintained his innocence and assured the court that he was innocent.
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.
After the killing, 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 as they took part in “Reclaim The Night” marches. Some protesters demanded the death penalty for the perpetrator of the crime.
The rape and murder of a medical intern sparked mass protests across India, with doctors demanding the government do more to keep workers safe.
The crime highlighted rising sexual violence against women in India and prompted India's Supreme Court to set up a national task force to propose ways to improve security measures in government hospitals.
Many cases of crimes against women in India go unreported due to the stigma associated with 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 violence and families worry about their social standing.
Despite this, the number of reported rape cases in the country has increased. According to the National Crime Records Office, police recorded 31,516 rape reports in 2022, an increase of 20% compared to 2021.
In 2012, the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi sparked mass protests across India. This inspired lawmakers to toughen penalties for such crimes, as well as to create fast-track courts to handle 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.