An Indian court has convicted a man of raping and murdering a trainee doctor, a crime that sparked nationwide outrage.

Sanjay Roy, a hospital volunteer, was found guilty of an attack at a hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, last August.

The incident sent shockwaves across the country, triggering widespread protests and raising concerns about the safety of India's health care workers, especially women.

Judge Anirban Das said the verdict, which will range from life imprisonment to death, will be announced on Monday. Roy maintains his innocence and says he was framed.

The victim's mother told AFP that if Roy was not sentenced to death, people would lose faith in India's legal system.

The body of the 31-year-old doctor was found on August 9, 2024, at the busy state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

After a grueling 36-hour shift, she fell asleep in the hospital's seminar room. A colleague later discovered her half-naked, badly injured body near the podium.

An autopsy found the victim had been strangled and had injuries indicating she resisted.

The charge sheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and seen by the BBC shows that Roy went to the hospital in a drunken state and found the female doctor sleeping alone.

He was arrested a day after the incident.

The case was initially investigated by Kolkata police but was later handed over to the CBI by a court after state officials were accused of mishandling the case.

Weeks after the incident, doctors and medical students across India held protests and rallies demanding justice and better safety for doctors.

One of the protests was "Take Back the Night" On August 14, the eve of India's Independence Day, tens of thousands of women took to the streets of Kolkata and other cities at night.

In December last year, the victim's parents approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a fresh probe, expressing lack of confidence in the CBI probe.

They argue Roy alone could not have committed the crime and say they will only be satisfied if everyone involved is brought to justice. The high court said the plea would be considered only if directed by the Supreme Court, which is overseeing the case.

The incident has raised concerns about rising cases of violence against health workers in India - many of whom face physical abuse at the hands of angry patients or their relatives.

A 2017 survey by the Indian Medical Association found that more than 75% of doctors in India had experienced some form of violence. The survey also showed that nearly 63% of doctors were concerned about the possibility of violence while treating patients.

Meanwhile, sexual violence against women remains a widespread problem in India. More than 31,000 rape cases reported in India in 2022according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Many rape cases in India go unreported, mainly due to the social stigma of sexual violence and a lack of trust in the police and justice system. Activists say this often results in the victim rather than the perpetrator being shamed, especially in rural areas.

The rape and murder of a medical student by a group of men in the Indian capital of Delhi in 2012 attracted global attention and sparked similar, wider protests.

Public outrage prompted authorities to change rape laws in 2013. The changes broadened the definition of the crime, set strict penalties for sexual assault and lowered the age of trial from 18 to 16.

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