An Indian court has sentenced a man to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor, sparking nationwide outrage and protests.

The judge rejected the death penalty but said hospital volunteer Sanjoy Roy convicted Over the weekend, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Roy maintains his innocence and is expected to appeal to a higher court.

The victim’s family said they wanted him hanged and were “shocked” by the verdict.

The woman’s father told AFP: “We will continue to fight and will not let the investigation stop… No matter what happens, we will fight for justice.”

Indian law prohibits revealing the identities of victims of sexual violence and their families.

The trainee doctor’s murder in August last year at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, where she worked, shocked the country.

The 31-year-old man was sleeping in the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after working a night shift. A colleague later discovered her half-naked, badly injured body near the podium.

The crime sparked widespread protests in India and concerns about the safety of health care workers, especially women.

The charge sheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and seen by the BBC shows that Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.

The autopsy report showed that the woman was strangled and had injuries on her body, indicating that she resisted.

Roy was arrested the day after the murder and has always denied the charges.

In Kolkata, doctors have been on strike for weeks, demanding action against defendants and officials they say were complicit in delaying or undermining the investigation.