Indian court finds man guilty in notorious hospital rape case

An Indian court on Saturday found a 33-year-old man guilty for the rape and murder of a doctor, a crime that sparked nationwide protests and hospital strikes last year.

The discovery of the victim’s bloodied body at a government hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata last August once again highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the world’s most populous country, reports AFP.

It led to demands by doctors at government hospitals for additional security, with thousands of citizens in Kolkata and elsewhere in India joining the doctors’ protests in solidarity.

The trial of defendant Sanjoy Roy was fast-tracked through India’s normally glacial legal system and arguments in the case concluded a little over a week ago.

“The sentence will be delivered on Monday,” presiding judge Anirban Das said after finding Roy, a civic volunteer in the hospital, guilty of rape and murder.

Roy has consistently maintained his innocence and again told the court that he was not guilty.

Roy was brought to court by a prison van and greeted by a crowd of protesters, held at bay by police officers, demanding he be given the death penalty.

The sentiment was echoed by the victim’s family, none of whom have been identified in keeping with Indian law around the reporting of sexual violence cases.

The trainee doctor was found raped and murdered in a seminar room of the hospital last year.

The crime led to nationwide outrage and prolonged protests by doctors across the state, demanding justice for the victim and stronger security measures in government hospitals.

Roy was arrested a day after the victim’s body was discovered.

India’s Supreme Court set up a national task force after the protests that suggested ways to enhance safety measures in the government hospitals.

The gruesome nature of the attack drew comparisons with the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus, which also sparked weeks of nationwide protests.