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 Sanjay Roy, a volunteer at Kolkata City Hospital 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 sentence.

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 the disclosure of the identities of victims of sexual violence and their families.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Dozens of doctors protest outside courtsaying they were dissatisfied with the investigation and verdict.

The murder of a trainee doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, in August last year shocked the nation.

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

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

The crime sparked widespread protests in India and concerns about the safety of health care workers, especially women. In Calcutta, doctor On strike There have been weeks of calls for action against the defendants and officials they say were complicit in delaying or undermining the investigation.

Roy was arrested a day after the incident. The charge sheet submitted by federal investigators and seen by the BBC shows that Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's premier crime agency investigating the case, has demanded the death penalty for Roy.

But on Monday, the judge disagreed, saying he had considered all the evidence and did not believe the case was an "extremely rare" crime.

Before handing down the sentence, the judge also gave Roy a chance to speak in court. He claimed he was innocent and had been "wrongfully implicated" in the case.

Roy did not reveal any names but claimed there were "other people involved in the crime".

The judge dismissed Roy's charges and said the court had found him guilty of all charges.

Some politicians and social media users criticized the verdict.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee explain She was unhappy with the court order. "We want justice. Such criminals should be hanged," she told reporters.