A police volunteer has been convicted of raping and murdering a trainee doctor at an Indian hospital, an incident that sparked nationwide protests last year.
The Silda Civil and Criminal Court found 33-year-old Sanjay Roy guilty of raping and murdering the female intern, who was found in a classroom at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August last year Bloodied bodies, the case shines a light on the country's fight against sexual violence against women.
Judge Anirban Das, who presided over a speedy trial, said the defendant, who had maintained his innocence in court and insisted he had been framed, could face life in prison or the death penalty when he is sentenced on Monday.
"Your guilt has been proven. You are convicted," the judge declared, saying the charges had been corroborated by circumstantial evidence.
Lawyers for Roy, who have not yet commented on the verdict, argued there were clear discrepancies in investigative and forensic examination reports at trial. The trial began on November 11 with the examination of 51 witnesses.
The parents of the 31-year-old victim, who cannot be named under Indian law, expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, saying the crime could not be the work of one person.
"There was no way our daughter could have met such a horrific end because of a man," her father said. "We will continue to be in pain and suffering until all culprits are punished. My daughter's soul will not rest in peace until she receives justice."
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More than 200 armed police personnel were dispatched to await the verdict.
As Roy was taken to court in a police van, protesters chanted: "Hang him, hang him."
Several doctors chanted slogans in support of the victims.
Dr Aniket Mahato, a spokesman for the junior doctor, said street protests would continue "until justice is served".
The horrific nature of the attack sparked weeks of nationwide protests and drew comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in the capital, New Delhi. This has led doctors at government hospitals to demand tighter security.
India's Supreme Court has set up a national task force in the wake of the protests to come up with recommendations to tighten security measures at government hospitals.
The Indian federal police investigating the case also accused the head of the local police station at the time of the incident and the head of the hospital at the time of destroying the crime scene and tampering with evidence.
The officer has been released on bail, while the hospital's former director remains in custody in a separate case of financial irregularities at the hospital.