Mon Jan 20 10:24:22 UTC 2025: ## Kolkata Doctor’s Killer Receives Life Imprisonment, Sparking Protests

**Kolkata, West Bengal, January 20, 2025** – Sanjay Roy, convicted of the rape and murder of a postgraduate doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, was sentenced to life imprisonment today by a Kolkata sessions court. While the CBI had sought the death penalty, citing the crime as “rarest of the rare,” Judge Anirban Das deemed it did not meet that threshold.

Roy, a former civic police volunteer, was found guilty on January 18th for the August 9th, 2024 crime. The court awarded the victim’s parents ₹17 lakh in compensation (₹10 lakh for the death and ₹7 lakh for the rape), though the parents stated they desired justice, not compensation. The judge noted the compensation was mandated by law due to the doctor being on duty at the time of the attack. Roy was also fined ₹50,000.

Despite the conviction, protests erupted outside the Sealdah court following the sentencing. Doctors and civil society members voiced their dissatisfaction with the life sentence, expressing their continued demand for harsher punishment. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also publicly stated her disappointment with the verdict, expressing that the death penalty would have been more fitting. The CBI’s investigation presented eleven pieces of evidence against Roy. Before sentencing, Roy proclaimed his innocence, claiming police brutality and false implication.

The case has ignited a strong public reaction, underscoring the ongoing fight for justice and safety for women in India.

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