In India, a police volunteer has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a high-profile murder and rape case. The victim, a 31-year-old medical trainee, was discovered in August at a hospital in Kolkata.
The violence sparked national outrage. After finishing work, she had gone to sleep in a hospital room.
Her colleagues found her severely injured body hours later. The suspect, a 33-year-old police volunteer, was quickly detained.
According to police reports, he entered the hospital intoxicated that night and encountered the sleeping medical trainee, whom he then raped and strangled. Following the murder, doctors and nurses across India protested for several weeks, demanding safer workplaces for women in hospitals.
The striking medical staff received support from other demonstrators who took to the streets to raise awareness about violence against women. During the trial, the accused maintained his innocence, claiming he was framed.
However, the judge declared there was sufficient evidence against him. Although the federal police, who investigated the case, advocated for the death penalty, the judge noted it should only be applied in “the rarest of rare cases,” which was not deemed applicable here.
Source: NOS