A police volunteer accused of raping and murdering a doctor in India has been spared the death penalty, angering the victim’s family.

An Indian court on Monday sentenced him to voluntary police custody. Finding guilty Last year, the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a crime that sparked a nationwide outcry over inadequate security for women and a fast-track trial against the country’s slow justice system.

Sanjay Roy, 33, who has consistently maintained his innocence, may appeal the verdict in a higher court.

The doctor’s family were shocked by the sentence and shed tears saying they hoped the murderer would be hanged. Judge Anirban Das, however, ordered Roy to spend his life behind bars, saying the case was not a “rare case” and did not merit the death penalty.

of Killing the 31-year-old doctor While working at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, she highlighted the chronic issue of violence against women in the country. Police found the woman’s bloodied body on August 9 at Ray G Kar Medical College and Hospital Seminar Hall. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

The federal police who investigated the case said the crime deserved the death penalty. The victim’s parents had also demanded death penalty for Roy and said they suspected many people to be involved in the crime.

The case was initially investigated by the Kolkata police, but the court later handed over the investigation to federal investigators, accusing state government officials of mishandling the investigation.

Doctors and medical students in India after the attack He held a protest And marches that require better protection. Thousands of women protested on the streets and demanded speedy justice for the victim.

Indian doctors in government hospitals in different states are also one strike To protest the rape and murder.

Roy was arrested a day after the crime, and arguments on the case began in November. The attack prompted India’s Supreme Court to set up a national task force to recommend ways to increase security in government hospitals.

On Monday, the victim’s mother and father, who were sitting near Roy in court, said they wanted Roy executed.

“We are shocked by the verdict,” the victim’s father told AFP, tears streaming down his face.

We will continue our fight, and we will not let the investigation stop… Let it come, we will fight for justice.

In keeping with Indian law, family members cannot be identified when reporting cases of sexual abuse.

Before the sentencing, Roy told him on Monday that he was innocent and that he was “suspected.”

Roy’s lawyer, Kabita Sarkar, said he was “not mentally stable” and would appeal.

Although the police stopped most of the marches to the courthouse, thousands of people gathered nearby, many chanting “Crucify him.”

Many cases of Crimes against women Due to the stigma surrounding sexual assault and lack of trust in the police, it goes unreported in India. Women’s rights activists say the problem is particularly pronounced in rural areas, where society sometimes shames victims of sexual violence and families worry about their social status.

The nationwide outrage and protests were similar to those that followed. In the year 2012 gang rape and murder A young woman in a moving New Delhi bus. That horrific attack prompted India to enact tougher laws against sexual assault, but according to current government data, as of 2022 officials are still recording an average of 90 rapes a day.

The government has also introduced the death penalty for repeat offenders. Four people sentenced to death in 2012 will be sentenced in 2020.

In the year Revised rape laws in 2013 criminalized stalking and voyeurism, lowering the age at which a person can be tried as an adult from 18 to 16.

Activists say new sentencing standards have not deterred rape and the number of reported rape cases has increased. In the year In 2022, police recorded 31,516 reports of rape – a 20% jump from 2021; National Criminal Records Bureau.

Just last week in South Indian police 49 out of 64 people were arrested He is accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old girl within the past five years. The girl, whose identity has not been released, told investigators she had been sexually assaulted and gang-raped since she was 13 years old.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.