An Indian court sentenced a police volunteer to life imprisonment on Monday after he was found guilty of raping and murdering a trainee doctor last year, an incident that sparked nationwide protests over women's safety and led to a swift trial in the country’s slow-moving justice system, reports AP.
Sanjay Roy, 33, who has maintained his innocence throughout, has the option to appeal the ruling in a higher court.
The death of the 31-year-old doctor, who was on duty at a hospital in Kolkata, brought attention to the persistent issue of violence against women in India. The woman's bloodied body was discovered on August 9 last year in the seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
A trainee doctor is raped and killed in India, sparking protests and an attack at a medical college
Federal police, who took over the investigation, argued that the crime warranted the death penalty. The victim’s parents also demanded the death penalty for Roy, expressing concerns that others may have been involved in the crime.
Initially, Kolkata police handled the investigation, but it was later transferred to federal authorities after allegations that state officers mishandled the case.
Following the attack, doctors and medical students across India staged protests, calling for enhanced security. Thousands of women took to the streets, demanding quick justice for the victim.
Roy was arrested the day after the crime, and court proceedings began in November. In response to the assault, India’s Supreme Court established a national task force to explore ways to improve safety in government hospitals.
In India, many crimes against women go unreported due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence and a lack of trust in the police. Women’s rights advocates highlight that the issue is especially severe in rural areas, where victims of sexual assault often face community shaming and families worry about their reputation.
The 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus sparked widespread protests across the country. This led to tougher penalties for such crimes, the creation of fast-track courts for rape cases, and the introduction of the death penalty for repeat offenders. Four men convicted for the 2012 crime were executed in 2020.
In 2013, rape laws were revised to criminalise stalking and voyeurism and to lower the age at which individuals could be tried as adults from 18 to 16.
Sanjay Roy found guilty in RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case
However, activists argue that the tougher sentencing requirements have not deterred rapes, as the number of reported rape cases continues to rise. In 2022, police recorded 31,516 rape cases, marking a 20% increase from the previous year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.