The law raises punishment for rape from the current sentences of at least 10 years to either life imprisonment or execution.
The doctor’s murder sparked strikes by medics and rallies backed by thousands of ordinary citizens across India, although many doctors have since returned to work.
Protests in West Bengal have since transformed into clashes between rival political party loyalists, including the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Hindu-nationalist BJP holds power nationally but sits in opposition in West Bengal. It and the AITC both backed the new state law.
The gruesome nature of the attack has invoked comparisons with the horrific 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in the capital Delhi.
The 2012 incident became a major political issue and was seen as one factor in the BJP’s subsequent success in elections.
Death penalties in India are often stalled by years of appeals. Executions are usually carried out by hanging.
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