Police volunteer convicted in doctor rape case in India | Sexual assault news

The bloodstained body of a female doctor was found in a classroom at a state-run college and hospital in Kolkata last August.

A police volunteer has been found guilty of raping and killing a trainee doctor at a hospital in India, leading to protests across the country last year.

The Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court found 33-year-old Sanjay Roy guilty of murder rape The killing of the trainee, whose bloodied body was found in a classroom at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last August, as the case exposed the country’s struggle with… Sexual violence Against women.

Judge Anirban Das, who presided over the speedy trial, said the defendant, who protested his innocence in court and insisted he stood the charge, could face life imprisonment or the death penalty when he is sentenced on Monday.

“You have been proven guilty. The judge declared you guilty, saying the charges were proven by circumstantial evidence.

Roy’s lawyers, who have not yet commented on the ruling, say there are glaring contradictions in the investigation and forensic reports in the trial that began on November 11 and saw 51 witnesses questioned.

The parents of the 31-year-old victim, who cannot be named under Indian law, expressed their dissatisfaction with the investigation, saying the crime could not have been committed by just one person.

“Our daughter could not have met such a horrific end at the hands of one man,” her father said. “We will remain in pain and agony until all the perpetrators are punished. My daughter’s soul will not rest in peace until she gets justice.”

Seeking justice

More than 200 armed police were deployed in anticipation of the ruling.

As Roy was brought to court in a police car, demonstrators chanted: “Hang him, hang him.”

A number of doctors chanted slogans in solidarity with the victim.

Dr Aniket Mahato, spokesperson for junior doctors, said street protests would continue “until justice is done”.

The horrific nature of the attack led to weeks of protests across the country, drawing comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in the capital, New Delhi. This led to doctors in government hospitals calling for more security.

The Supreme Court of India formed a national task force after the protests that suggested ways to strengthen safety measures in government hospitals.

India’s federal police, which also investigated the case Charged The officer who headed the local police station at the time of the crime and the head of the hospital at the time with the destruction of the crime scene and tampering with evidence.

The police officer has been released on bail while the former director of the hospital remains in custody in connection with a separate case involving financial irregularities at the hospital.