An Indian court has sentenced Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer, to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata, a case that sparked nationwide outrage and protests. The judge rejected demands for the death penalty, ruling that Roy would serve a life sentence, which means he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Roy, who was convicted over the weekend, has maintained his innocence and is expected to appeal the verdict in a higher court. The victim’s family, however, expressed their shock at the sentence and insisted on a harsher punishment. “We will continue our fight, and won’t let investigations stop… Come what may, we will fight for justice,” the woman’s father said in an interview with AFP.
Indian law prohibits the disclosure of identities in sexual violence cases, including the names of victims and their family members.
The conviction follows the tragic murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor last August at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The woman, who had worked a night shift, had gone to sleep in a seminar hall at the hospital. Her half-naked, severely injured body was later found by a colleague near a podium.
An autopsy revealed that the woman had been strangled and showed signs of a struggle, suggesting she fought back against her attacker. The brutal crime prompted widespread protests and raised concerns about the safety of healthcare workers, particularly women, in India. In Kolkata, doctors held a strike for weeks, demanding justice and accountability, accusing authorities of mishandling the investigation.
Roy was arrested a day after the crime. According to investigators, he was drunk when he entered the hospital and found the woman sleeping alone. The case was taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s top crime agency, which had requested the death penalty for Roy.
Despite this, the judge did not consider the crime to be of the “rarest-of-rare” nature, a legal standard often used in death penalty cases. Before sentencing, Roy was allowed to speak in court, where he claimed that he was innocent and was “falsely implicated,” without naming any other suspects. The judge dismissed these claims, confirming Roy’s guilt.
The sentence has drawn criticism from some political figures and members of the public. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, stating, “We want justice. Such criminals should be hanged.”
