Life Sentence for Kolkata Hospital Rape and Murder

Life Sentence for Kolkata Hospital Rape and Murder


An Indian court on Monday sentenced to life in prison the man convicted of raping and murdering a trainee doctor in Kolkata, sparing him the death penalty in a case that was a chilling example of how the country remains unsafe for women.

The killing in August led to months of protests and political turmoil in the state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, is the capital.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, its equivalent of the F.B.I., had asked the court to hand down a death penalty for Sanjay Roy, the perpetrator. So had the victim’s family, and the powerful chief minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee.

But the court ruled that Mr. Roy’s crimes did not meet the “rarest of the rare” standard used to justify executing those convicted of capital offenses.

Rekha Sharma, a former chief of the National Commission for Women and a member of Parliament, told an Indian news agency that “the victim’s family and all of us are really sad” that Mr. Roy avoided the death penalty. A member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, she blamed the sentence on shortcomings of the Kolkata Police, who answer to Ms. Banerjee.

Before the sentencing, Mr. Roy, who had served as a volunteer with the Kolkata Police, said he was not guilty. “I haven’t done this. I have been framed,” he told the court on Monday. Months ago, he had said that the written confessions he gave to police were obtained by force.

Details about the crime were murky for several days after the body of the 31-year-old victim was found in a seminar hall at a university hospital in Kolkata. They were also horrific, in a way that recalled a notorious case of rape and murder in New Delhi in December 2012 that also led to mass protests and, eventually, to four hangings.

In the Kolkata case, the junior doctor had gone to sleep on a mattress she had placed on the floor in the early hours of Aug. 9, after a grueling hospital shift. After her body was discovered, the authorities said she had been raped and strangled. Police arrested Mr. Roy after he was identified in CCTV footage entering the building before the attack and wearing headphones that were found at the crime scene.

The public reaction was extraordinary, and escalated over the next few months. Thousands of doctors across the city went on strike to demand safer working conditions. They were joined by many thousands of Indians, incensed at what they regarded as callous treatment of the victim’s family and efforts at a cover-up.

“People are convinced that this was connected with wholesale corruption in the medical college,” said Jawhar Sircar, a former civil servant who joined Ms. Banerjee’s political party but resigned in September over what he said was graft under her rule, and the role that it seemed to play in the Kolkata hospital rape and murder case.

A spokesperson for Ms. Banerjee, one of Mr. Modi’s most vocal rivals, greeted the sentencing by posting on social media that the politician and the Kolkata police had been vindicated by the verdict. But many protesters, Mr. Sircar added, had taken to the streets to rally against what they perceived as corruption under her long stint as chief minister of West Bengal.

And now, after the sentencing, the widespread feeling, Mr. Sircar said, was that “by selecting this guy, and punishing him, only partial justice has been done.”



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Indian court jails man for life for doctor’s rape and murder

Indian court jails man for life for doctor’s rape and murder


A court in India has sentenced a man to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage and protests.

The judge rejected demands for the death penalty but said that Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer in Kolkata city who was convicted over the weekend, would spend the rest of his life in jail.

Roy has maintained he is innocent and is expected to appeal against the verdict in a higher court.

The victim’s family said they wanted him to be hanged, and that they were “shocked” by the sentence.

“We will continue our fight, and won’t let investigations stop… Come what may, we will fight for justice,” the woman’s father told AFP news agency. Indian law prohibits revealing the identity of victims of sexual violence and that of their family members.

Immediately after the sentencing, dozens of doctors protested outside the court, saying they were not satisfied with the investigation and the sentence.

The trainee doctor’s murder last August at the state-run hospital in Kolkata in West Bengal state sent shockwaves across the country.

The 31-year-old had gone to sleep in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after a night shift. Her half-naked, severely injured body was later discovered near a podium by a colleague.

The autopsy report indicated that the woman had been strangled and had injury marks that showed she fought back.

The crime sparked widespread protests and concerns over the safety of healthcare workers in India, especially women. In Kolkata, doctors went on strike for weeks, demanding action against the accused and officials who they said were complicit in delaying or derailing the investigation.

Roy was arrested a day after the crime. According to the charge sheet filed by federal investigators, which the BBC has seen, Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – India’s premier crime agency that investigated the case – had demanded the death penalty for Roy.

But on Monday, the judge disagreed, saying he had considered all the evidence and did not consider the case to be a “rarest-of-rare” crime.

Before announcing the sentence, the judge also gave Roy a chance to speak in court. He claimed that he was innocent and was being “falsely implicated” in the case.

Without taking any names, Roy alleged that there were “others involved in the crime”.

The judge dismissed Roy’s claims and said the court had already found him guilty of all charges.

Some politicians and social media users criticised the sentence.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was not satisfied with the court’s order. “We want justice. Such criminals should be hanged,” she told reporters.



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Indian police volunteer gets life sentence for raping and murdering trainee doctor | India

Indian police volunteer gets life sentence for raping and murdering trainee doctor | India


An Indian police volunteer has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital where she worked in Kolkata, a crime that sparked nationwide protests and widespread hospital strikes last year.

The court rejected demands for the death penalty, saying it was not a “rarest-of-rare” crime.

The woman’s body was found in a classroom at the state-run RG Kar medical college and hospital on 9 August. Other doctors stayed off work for weeks to demand justice for her and better security at public hospitals.

Sanjay Roy, the police volunteer, was convicted by judge Anirban Das on Saturday, who said circumstantial evidence had proved the charges against him. Roy had claimed he was innocent and that he had been framed, and sought clemency.

The federal police, who investigated the case, said the crime belonged to the “rarest-of-rare” category and Roy, therefore, deserved the death penalty.

“I do not consider it as a rarest-of-rare crime,” Das said as he sentenced Roy to life in jail on both the counts of rape and murder on Monday. “Life imprisonment, meaning imprisonment until death.”

The judge said he had come to the conclusion it was not a rarest-of-rare crime after considering all the evidence and the circumstances linked to it. He said Roy could appeal to a higher court.

The sentence was announced in a packed courtroom on Monday as the judge allowed the public to witness proceedings. The fast-tracked trial had not been open to the public.

The parents of the junior doctor were among those in court on Monday. Security was stepped up with dozens of police personnel deployed at the court complex.

The rape and murder of the student sparked state-wide protests and strikes by medical students and doctors. Photograph: Rajat Gupta/EPA

The parents had said earlier they were not satisfied with the investigation and suspected more people were involved in the crime. Their lawyer, Amartya Dey, told Reuters on Monday that they had sought the death penalty for Roy and also demanded that those involved in what they called the “larger conspiracy” be brought to justice.

Protesting doctors had said that demonstrations would continue until justice was done.

India’s federal police cited 128 witnesses in its investigation, of whom 51 were examined during the fast-tracked trial that began in November.

Police have also charged the officer heading the local police station and the head of the college at the time of the crime with destruction of the crime scene and tampering with evidence.



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Indian police volunteer gets life sentence for rape, murder of Kolkata junior doctor

Indian police volunteer gets life sentence for rape, murder of Kolkata junior doctor



Kolkata, India
Reuters
 — 

An Indian court awarded a 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 and 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 August 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.

Roy said he was innocent and that he had been framed, and sought clemency.

The federal police, who investigated the case, said the crime belonged to the “rarest-of-rare” category and Roy, therefore, deserved the death penalty.

“I do not consider it as a rarest-of-rare crime,” judge Das said and sentenced Roy to life in jail on both the counts of rape and murder. “Life imprisonment, meaning imprisonment until death.”

The judge said that he had come to the conclusion that it was not a rarest-of-rare crime after considering all the evidence and the circumstances linked to it. He said Roy could go in appeal to a higher court.

The sentence was announced in a packed courtroom as the judge allowed the public to witness proceedings on Monday. The speedy trial in the court was not open to the public.

The parents of the junior doctor were among those in court on Monday. Security was stepped up with dozens of police personnel deployed at the court complex.

The parents had earlier said that they were not satisfied with the probe and suspected more people were involved in the crime.

Their lawyer, Amartya Dey, told Reuters on Monday that they had sought the death penalty for Roy and also demanded that those involved in what they called the “larger conspiracy” be brought to book.

Protesting doctors had said that street protests would continue until justice was done.

India’s federal police cited 128 witnesses in its investigation, of whom 51 were examined during the fast-tracked trial that began in November.

Police had also charged the officer heading the local police station and the head of the college at the time of the crime with destruction of the crime scene and tampering with evidence.



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‘I’ve returned to my beloved life’ says freed British-Israeli hostage

‘I’ve returned to my beloved life’ says freed British-Israeli hostage


British-Israeli national Emily Damari says she has “returned to my beloved life” in her first comments since being released from captivity in Gaza.

The 28-year-old was shot in the hand and dragged from her home in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

She was one of the first three hostages to be released on Sunday as part of the long-awaited ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

In an Instagram post published following her release, Ms Damari also wrote “love, love, love”, and thanked God, her family and “the best friends I have in this world”.

According to a translation of the message, which is in Hebrew, she also suggests she was able to see some of the reaction on Sunday to her release, saying “you broke my heart with excitement, thank you”.

At the bottom of the message, Ms Damari includes a hand emoji with two of the fingers curled. She lost two fingers after being shot in the hand during her capture.

Ms Damari’s family has also spoken about her delight at her return. They had been told in March 2024 she was still alive but had been given no information about her condition since.

Her mother Mandy, who has spent that time campaigning for her release, said in a statement: “After 471 days Emily is finally home.

“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name. In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”

She added that while “Emily’s nightmare” is over “the impossible wait” continues for other families.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the release of the three hostages was “wonderful and long overdue”.

Ms Damari’s release – alongside that of Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31- was the first of several due to take place over the next six weeks – if the ceasefire holds.

They will continue until a total of 33 Israeli hostages have been returned and about 1,900 Palestinians have been freed in exchange.



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