Last August, the blood-stained body of a female doctor was found in a classroom at a government college and hospital in Kolkata.

A police volunteer has been convicted of raping and murdering a trainee doctor at an Indian hospital, an incident that sparked nationwide protests last year.

The Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court found Sanjay Roy, 33, guilty of rape The blood-stained body of a female intern was found in a classroom at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August last year, a case that exposed the country’s relationship with sexual violence Against women.

Judge Anirban Das, who presided over a speedy trial, said the defendant, who maintained his innocence in court and insisted he had been framed, could face life in prison or the death penalty when he is sentenced on Monday.

“Your guilt has been proven. You are convicted,” the judge declared, saying the charges had been corroborated by circumstantial evidence.

Lawyers for Roy, who have not yet commented on the verdict, argued there were clear discrepancies in investigative and forensic examination reports at trial. The trial began on November 11 with the examination of 51 witnesses.

The parents of the 31-year-old victim, who cannot be named under Indian law, expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, saying the crime could not be the work of one person.

“There was no way our daughter could have met such a horrific end because of a man,” her father said. “We will continue to be in pain and suffering until all culprits are punished. My daughter’s soul will not rest in peace until she receives justice.”

seek justice

More than 200 armed police personnel were dispatched to await the verdict.

As Roy was taken to court in a police van, protesters chanted: “Hang him, hang him.”

Several doctors chanted slogans in support of the victims.

Dr Aniket Mahato, a spokesman for the junior doctor, said street protests would continue “until justice is served”.

The horrific nature of the attack sparked weeks of nationwide protests and drew comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in the capital, New Delhi. This has led doctors at government hospitals to demand tighter security.

India’s Supreme Court has set up a national task force in the wake of the protests to come up with recommendations to tighten security measures at government hospitals.

The Indian federal police investigating the case also charged The police officer in charge of the local police station at the time of the crime and the hospital director at the time destroyed the crime scene and tampered with evidence.

The officer has been released on bail, while the hospital’s former director remains in custody in a separate case of financial irregularities at the hospital.