KOLKATA – An Indian man on trial for raping and murdering a 31-year-old doctor has pleaded not guilty, his lawyer said on Dec 21, a crime that appalled the nation and triggered wide-scale protests.
The discovery of the doctor’s bloodied body at a government hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on Aug 9 sparked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women.
Sanjoy Roy, 33, the lone accused in the case, pleaded not guilty before the judge in a closed court on Dec 20 in Kolkata, his lawyer Sourav Bandyopadhyay told AFP.
Through Mr Bandyopadhyay, Roy told the court: “I am not guilty, your honour, I have been framed.”
Roy, a civic volunteer in the hospital, was arrested the day after the murder and has been held in custody since.
He would potentially face the death penalty if convicted.
The court began hearings on Nov 11, listening to evidence from some 50 witnesses. On Dec 20, Roy took the stand.
“Judge Anirban Das questioned him with more than 100 questions during the six-hour-long in-camera deposition, that continued until late in the evening”, Mr Bandyopadhyay said.
Roy had earlier proclaimed his innocence to the public while screaming from a prison van outside the court before a hearing in November.
The trial continues. The next hearing is set for Jan 2, 2025.
Doctors in Kolkata went on strike for weeks in response to the brutal attack.
Tens of thousands of ordinary Indians joined in the protests, which focused on the lack of measures for female doctors to work without fear.
India’s Supreme Court has ordered a national task force to examine how to bolster security for healthcare workers, saying the brutality of the killing had “shocked the conscience of the nation”.
The gruesome nature of the attack drew comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus, which also sparked weeks of nationwide protests. AFP
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