A person has been found guilty in an Indian judge of the murder and murder of a trainee physician, a crime that sparked outrage nationwide.
Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer contractor, was found innocent for the attack, which took place in Kolkata, West Bengal state, in August last year.
The affair shook the nation, sparking widespread protests and worries about the safety of care staff in India, particularly women.
Judge Anirban Das said the word, which will be announced on Monday, may number from life in prison to the death penalty. Roy has defended his ignorance and previously claimed he was being framed.
If Roy were not given the death penalty, the defendant’s mother told the AFP news organization that people would lose faith in the country’s legal system.
The body of the 31-year-old physician, who cannot be named for legitimate reasons, was found on 9 August 2024 at at the occupied, state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
After a gruelling 36-hour change, she had gone to sleep in the patient’s conference house. Her half-naked, seriously wounded, figure was afterwards discovered near a floor by a colleague.
The prey had been strangled and had injuries that showed she fought back, according to the post-mortem assessment.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ), which the BBC has seen, Roy went to the hospital in a sluggish state and discovered the female doctor sleeping alone.
One day after the murder, he was detained.
The Kolkata officers immediately began their investigation, but the court after handed the investigation to the CBI after condition officials were accused of handling it improperly.
Doctors and medical students from all over India staged protests and rallies demanding better security and justice for specialists for days following the incident.
One such protest, the “Reclaim the Night” march, saw tens of thousands of women walk through the streets at night in Kolkata and other cities on 14 August, the eve of India’s Independence Day.
In December, the victim’s kids petitioned the Calcutta High Court for a new investigation, expressing a lack of belief in the CBI’s research.
They claimed that Roy alone could not had committed the crime, and that they would only be satisfied if all parties involved were found guilty. The Supreme Court, which is overseeing the circumstance, has stated that the high court will simply take the plea into account if it is directed to do so by the Supreme Court.
Concerned about the rising incidence of violence against Indian health workers, many of whom are subject to physical abuse from irate people or their family.
Over 75 % of doctors in India have been the victim of some form of assault, according to a 2017 study conducted by the Indian Medical Association. Additionally, the study found that nearly 63 % of doctors are afraid of potential crime while treating clients.
Meanwhile, sexual violence against women remains a widespread problem in India. More than 31,000 rapes were reported in India in 2022, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
In India, many rape cases go unreported, primarily as a result of the social stigma surrounding sexual assault and a lack of confidence in the police and criminal system. According to activists, this frequently results in the target being demonized rather than the culprit, especially in rural areas.
In 2012, the rape and murder of a skilled scholar by a group of people in India’s capital Delhi drew world interest and triggered related, wider demonstrations.
Officials in 2013 were forced to change murder laws as a result of the public outcry. The changes reduced the time at which a person can become tried from 18 to 16 and expanded the definition of the offense. They also made stricter punishments for sexual assault.
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