Doctors hold candles during a protest rally demanding justice, following the rape and murder of a trainee medic at a hospital in Kolkata, in New Delhi, India, August 16, 2024. —REUTERS
KOLKATA—An Indian court awarded the life sentence on Monday to a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital where she worked in the eastern city of Kolkata, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a rare crime.
The woman’s body was found in a classroom at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9.
Other doctors stayed off work for weeks to demand justice for her and better security at public hospitals, as the crime sparked national outrage over a lack of safety for women.
Sanjay Roy, the police volunteer, was convicted by judge Anirban Das on Saturday who said circumstantial evidence had proved the charges against Roy.
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