Kolkata:
A Kolkata court on Saturday convicted Sanjay Roy, accused in the case of rape and murder of a doctor on duty at RG Kar Hospital. After this heinous crime, outrage spread across the country and protests continued for a long time. Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das of Sealdah court, which is hearing the case, said that he will pronounce the sentence in this case on Monday.

Know the whole matter

This verdict was delivered almost two months after the closed-door hearing that began in November last year and 162 days after the heinous crime that occurred on August 9, 2024. Roy was arrested a day after the incident. The accused was found guilty under sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death) and 103(1) (murder) of the Indian Judicial Code. Under BNS 103(1), there are provisions for minimum life imprisonment and maximum death sentence.

The judge said that Roy has been found guilty of sexually assaulting and strangulating the trainee doctor and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has proved all the charges against him. While pronouncing the conviction, Das said that Roy entered the hospital at around 4 am and attacked the trainee doctor on duty while she was sleeping in the seminar room of the hospital. He said, “You sexually assaulted the doctor.” You strangled her and covered her face and this attack ultimately resulted in her death.”

The judge sentenced

The judge said, “On the basis of these allegations, charges have been framed against you under sections 64, 66 and 103 (1) of the Indian Justice Code (BNS). On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in the case, your guilt has been proved and you are being held guilty.” Das said Roy’s statement will be heard at 12:30 pm on Monday followed by sentencing. Will be heard.

When the verdict of conviction was pronounced, Roy claimed before the court that he had been framed. Roy said in his defence, “I wear a Rudraksha rosary and if I had committed the crime, it would have been broken.” After the verdict, Roy was taken from the courtroom under tight surveillance to the Presidency Correctional Home and police stationed there. The waiting media persons were stopped from having any kind of conversation with the accused.

The parents of the deceased female doctor thanked the judge for convicting the accused. The father of the deceased doctor said, “You have fully respected the trust we had reposed in you.”

The mother of the doctor, who was a victim of brutality, accepted the verdict, but she also said that justice has not been completely done. He told ‘PTI-Bhasha’, “Sanjay is guilty, it has been proved through medical evidence.” He remained silent during the hearing, which proved his role in torturing and murdering my daughter. But, he was not alone. The other people who are yet to be arrested should also be brought to justice,” he said, adding, “We will continue our fight for justice till our last breath.”

Family members did not attend the hearing

In its charge sheet, the CBI had named Roy, a civilian volunteer of the Kolkata Police, as the prime suspect in the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor posted at a state government-run hospital. Roy’s elder sister said at her Bhawanipur residence that her family would not challenge the court’s decision. He said, “If he (Roy) has committed any crime, he should get appropriate punishment. We have no plans to challenge the order.” He also said that Roy’s family did not attend the hearing.

Family members made allegations

Junior doctors, who were at the forefront of the protests after this incident, have requested for further investigation into the allegations of a major conspiracy made by the victim’s parents. “There are a lot of unanswered questions,” said a junior doctor. The allegation that the crime scene was tampered with and influential people were involved should be thoroughly investigated. This is only partial justice. The fight is not over yet.” There were mixed political reactions to this decision.

BJP’s reaction

Senior BJP leader Subhendu Adhikari welcomed the verdict, but also requested further investigation into the allegations of conspiracy made by the victim’s family. He said, “We would have been happy if former principal of RG Kar Hospital Sandeep Ghosh and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal had also been sentenced today. We should investigate whether anyone else was involved in the crime or not.

TMC also reacted

Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy also welcomed the verdict and demanded ‘strictest punishment’ to Roy, so that an example could be set. Kolkata Police, which was initially investigating the case, arrested Roy on August 10. A day before this, the body of the female doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital. Later the Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation of the case to the CBI. The investigating agency had demanded death penalty for the accused.

What is the whole matter?

The in-camera hearing into the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor began on November 12 and 50 witnesses were questioned. The hearing ended on January 9. The crime sparked nationwide outrage and junior doctors in Kolkata staged a prolonged protest demanding justice for the victim and tighter security arrangements in state government-run hospitals.

Members of civil organizations in Kolkata and some other cities also protested against this horrific incident and took out midnight rallies called ‘Reclaim the Night’ demanding justice for the deceased female doctor.

Due to this incident, opposition parties like Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Marxist Communist Party (CPI-M) had targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led state government over the law and order situation.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by the NewsDeskReport team and is published directly from a syndicated feed.)