Kolkata Rape-Murder Accused Sanjay Roy Found Guilty
Sanjoy Roy has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar College and Hospital.
Who can forget the shocking & gruesome Kolkata Rape and Murder case?
ISH has released several videos on it. If you missed watching it, you can watch them here (ISH News Links: ).
To give you a brief, 9th August, 2024, a 31-year-old female doctor was found raped and murdered in a seminar room at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The shocking and tragic event sparked widespread outrage, especially within the medical community, causing protests across the country, and the reaction of high anger & deep sorrow from the public.
Doctors across Kolkata and other parts of India protested demanding justice for the victim and stronger safety regulations for medical professionals, during which also few women were raped and many were brutally attacked my mobs
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sanjay Roy, a 33-year-old police volunteer, on 10th August 2024.
After thorough investigations, Roy was formally arrested on 23rd August 2024.
The case sparked debates about the safety of women and workers in India's public hospitals.
It also brought attention to how much more needs to be done to ensure the safety of doctors, especially women working late hours.
Many people were angry that this could happen in a place meant to care for people, and doctors began to feel unsafe in their work environments.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was also highly criticized for her decisions and few statements on the case, especially for also being the health minister of West Bengal.
The cause of the crime is yet unknown, there were rumours that the victim knew about the drug racket being run in the hospital and that is why she was murdered,
Some other rumours said that some doctors and other members of the hospital made pornographic videos there.
And if that is the case, why was only Roy arrested? What about the others?
There haven’t been any reports of anyone else being arrested even though there are suspicions of more individuals being involved.
There is an update on the case now.
Now, 5 months after the incident, on 18th January 2025, the Sealdah Sessions Court in Kolkata found Sanjay Roy guilty of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor.
However, Roy pleaded his innocence and said that he was being framed.
The CBI, which was probing the case, said it comes under the "rarest of rare" category and the maximum punishment, which is the death penalty, should be awarded to Roy.
On 20th January 2025, he judge of the Sealdah court, however, said the case did not fall under the rarest of rare category and sentenced him to life imprisonment until death and a fine of ?50,000 under these sections - point -
Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim) and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The court also directed the West Bengal government to provide a compensation of ?17 lakhs to the victim’s family.
The parents have rejected this compensation and said “We don't want money, we want justice for our daughter”
The verdict led to a sense of justice however after the punishment, the victim's family expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation.
They alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not investigate the case properly. Speaking to media persons, the parents claimed that if the CBI had properly investigated the case, then several others would have been arrested and convicted.
One of the comments on the Times of India post says “Roy is just the scapegoat. The actual criminals are roaming free.”
Another said “Absolutely wrong judgement. Shame on the system.”
Many people are upset and feel the judgement against Sanjay Roy is not enough for his crimes.
They also think others involved in the case are being ignored, and justice is incomplete.
Several politicians across India criticised the court for incomplete/ half investigation, proceedings, and the verdict, stating that Roy should have been hanged to death.
One example, BJP’s IT head - Amit Malviya, criticized the Kolkata court’s decision to give life imprisonment. He said on X that just life imprisonment and a 50,000-rupee fine for Sanjoy Roy, accused in the RG Kar rape and murder case, is completely wrong decision. The verdict must be appealed.”
CM Mamata Banerjee expressed discontent over the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case and said, "We had demanded capital punishment for the accused. She said that her government will approach the High Court and seek capital punishment.
On the other hand, Sanjay Roy’s mother said “If the court decides to hang him, I won't object because his crime has been proven in court. I will cry alone, but I will accept it as part of my fate."
She told the reporters, "As a woman and a mother of 3 daughters, I can feel the pain and sorrow of the mother of the young doctor, who is like my own daughter."
The CBI also arrested Abhijit Mandal, the officer in charge of Tala police station, and Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the medical college and hospital.
They were arrested for allegedly destroying evidence and trying to hide the case. What punishment will they get?
What about the doctors who were accused? There is still no clear reason behind the crime either.
Do you think the punishment was fair? Let us know in the comments.
