A police volunteer has been convicted of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in India

An Indian court on Saturday convicted a police volunteer of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a crime that sparked nationwide protests and hospital strikes last year amid renewed concerns about the lack of safety for women.

The murder of the 31-year-old doctor while working in a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata last August once again highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the country. The trial in this case was expedited due to India’s slow legal system, and arguments began in November.

Judge Anirban Das said the sentence for Sanjay Roy, 33, would be announced on Monday and could range from life imprisonment to the death penalty.

Police discovered the woman’s bloodstained body in the seminar hall of the hospital and RJ Kar Medical College in the city on August 9. An autopsy later showed that the victim had been strangled and confirmed sexual assault.

Roy was arrested a day after the crime. Since then, he has consistently maintained his innocence and told the court that he is not guilty.

Kolkata Police was initially investigating the case, but the court later handed over the probe to federal investigators after state government officers were accused of mishandling the investigation.

After his killing, doctors and medical students across India organized protests and marches to demand justice and better security for them. Thousands of women across the country also protested in the streets, demanding justice for the victim as they participated in “Reclaim the Night” marches. Some demonstrators demanded the death penalty for the perpetrator.

Watch | Improved security needed, say doctors in India:

Doctors in India are calling for better security after the horrific murder

The rape and murder of a medical intern has sparked widespread protests in India, with medical workers demanding the government do more to keep workers safe.

The crime highlighted the rise in sexual violence against women in India and prompted the Supreme Court of India to form a national task force proposing ways to strengthen safety measures in government hospitals.

Many cases of crimes against women in India go unreported due to stigma surrounding sexual violence, as well as a lack of trust in the police. Women’s rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where victims of sexual assault are sometimes shamed by society and families worry about their social standing.

However, the number of recorded rape cases in the country has increased. In 2022, police registered 31,516 reports of rape, a 20% increase on 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 mass protests across India. It inspired lawmakers to issue harsher penalties for such crimes, as well as to establish dedicated fast-track courts for rape cases. The government also imposed the death penalty on repeat offenders.

The rape law amended in 2013 also criminalizes stalking and voyeurism, and lowers the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16 years.