A court docket in India has sentenced a person to life in jail for the rape and homicide of a junior physician, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage and protests.
The decide rejected calls for for the loss of life penalty however mentioned that Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer in Kolkata metropolis who was convicted over the weekend, would spend the remainder of his life in jail.
Roy has maintained he’s harmless and is predicted to attraction in opposition to the decision in a better court docket.
The sufferer’s household mentioned they wished him to be hanged, and that they have been “shocked” by the sentence.
“We’ll proceed our battle, and will not let investigations cease… Come what might, we’ll battle for justice,” the girl’s father informed AFP information company. Indian regulation prohibits revealing the id of victims of sexual violence and that of their members of the family.
Instantly after the sentencing, dozens of doctors protested outside the court, saying they weren’t happy with the investigation and the sentence.
The trainee physician’s homicide final August on the state-run hospital in Kolkata in West Bengal state despatched shockwaves throughout the nation.
The 31-year-old had gone to sleep within the seminar corridor of the RG Kar Medical Faculty and Hospital after an evening shift. Her half-naked, severely injured physique was later found close to a podium by a colleague.
The post-mortem report indicated that the girl had been strangled and had harm marks that confirmed she fought again.
The crime sparked widespread protests and considerations over the protection of healthcare employees in India, particularly girls. In Kolkata, docs went on strike for weeks, demanding motion in opposition to the accused and officers who they mentioned have been complicit in delaying or derailing the investigation.
Roy was arrested a day after the crime. In response to the cost sheet filed by federal investigators, which the BBC has seen, Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and located the feminine physician sleeping alone.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – India’s premier crime company that investigated the case – had demanded the loss of life penalty for Roy.
However on Monday, the decide disagreed, saying he had thought-about all of the proof and didn’t think about the case to be a “rarest-of-rare” crime.
Earlier than saying the sentence, the decide additionally gave Roy an opportunity to talk in court docket. He claimed that he was harmless and was being “falsely implicated” within the case.
With out taking any names, Roy alleged that there have been “others concerned within the crime”.
The decide dismissed Roy’s claims and mentioned the court docket had already discovered him responsible of all expenses.
Some politicians and social media customers criticised the sentence.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was not happy with the court docket’s order. “We would like justice. Such criminals ought to be hanged,” she informed reporters.
