India police volunteer sentenced to life over rape, murder of junior doctor in Kolkata [Video]

A court in India has sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor who was attacked while on duty in Kolkata last August, in a crime that sparked widespread protests across the country.

The trial, which started in November and was held in a closed court, was fast-tracked because of the outcry, with many people taking to the streets to voice their anger over chronic violence against women in India, as well as the lack of security measures to keep female doctors safe.

During a sentencing hearing Monday in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Judge Anirban Das said while a heinous crime, it was not the “rarest of rare” cases that shocked society as a whole. Therefore, the death penalty was not appropriate for Sanjay Roy.

“You will be in prison until the last day of your life,” Das …