The killing of the 31-year-old medic at a state-run hospital in Kolkata city highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the country.An Indian court has awarded the life sentence to a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital she worked at in the eastern city of Kolkata.
Judge Anirban Das on Monday rejected demands for the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, saying it was not “the rarest of the rare cases”, and ordered that the 33-year-old convict must spend his life behind bars.
Roy has consistently maintained his innocence, alleging he had been framed. He can appeal the judgement in a higher court.
The 31-year-old trainee doctor’s bloodied body was found in a classroom at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. An autopsy found she had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
Her parents broke into tears inside the court on Monday, saying they were “shocked” at the sentence and had hoped her murderer would be hanged, for a case that highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the world’s most populous country.
“We are shocked by the verdict,” the victim’s father told the AFP news agency, tears running down his face. “We will continue our fight, and won’t let investigations stop… Come what may, we will fight for justice.” Advertisement
Family members cannot be identified in keeping with Indian law on the reporting of sexual violence cases …
