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A court in India has sentenced a man to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor, a crime that sparked nationwide outrage and protests.
The judge rejected demands for the death penalty but said that Sanjoy Roy, a hospital volunteer who was convicted at the weekend will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Roy maintains that he is innocent and is expected to appeal the sentence in a higher court.
The victim’s family said they wanted him hanged and that they were “shocked” by the sentence.
“We will continue our fight and will not allow the investigation to stop… Whatever happens, we will fight for justice,” the woman’s father told AFP.
Indian law prohibits the disclosure of the identity of victims of sexual violence and their family members.
The murder of the doctor, which happened last year at the hospital in the city of Calcutta in the state of West Bengal, where she worked, shocked the entire country.
After an exhausting shift, a 31-year-old woman went to sleep in the seminar hall of the State Medical College and Hospital named after R.G. Her half-naked body with severe injuries was later discovered near the podium by a colleague.
The crime sparked widespread protests and concerns about the safety of health workers in India, especially women.
According to the charge sheet drawn up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), seen by the BBC, Roy went to the hospital drunk and found the doctor sleeping alone.
The autopsy report shows that the woman was strangled and had marks of injuries from which she fought back.
Roy was arrested a day after the crime and has consistently denied the charges.
In Calcutta, doctors have been on strike for weeks demanding action against the accused and officials they say were complicit in delaying or derailing investigations.
