A tragic occurrence took place in Keralas Kollam district when a 23-year-old doctor was stabbed numerous times while on duty by a 42-year-old schoolteacher. Police had brought the attacker, who was identified as S. Sandeep, to the hospital for treatment of his own wounds. In a tragic turn of events, Sandeep, who was under the influence of alcohol, turned angry and attacked many people, including a police officer. Dr Vandana Das, a house surgeon at the Kottarakkara government taluk hospital, died of her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, despite efforts to rescue her.Following this tragic incident, government doctors organised a statewide protest seeking justice for Dr Vandana and urged the government to safeguard the security of healthcare personnel. On the next day, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association and the Indian Medical Association declared their decision to boycott duty, except in emergencies, as a display of support.The Kerala High Court expressed serious concern about the tragedy, stressing that such tragic incidents might destroy young doctors trust in the system. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the incident as “shocking” and “painful.” He promised a thorough inquiry and vowed tough action against attacks on doctors and healthcare personnel.The chain of events led to the murderDr Vandanas murder occurred earlier in the day when Sandeep called the district police control room, alleging he was being attacked. Despite repeated attempts to contact him, he remained unavailable until the early hours of the morning. The cops eventually found him near an apartment, where he was acting strangely and was visibly drunk. Sandeep was rushed to the Kottarakkara taluk hospital at about 4:30 a.m. with a leg injury.M R Ajith Kumar, ADGP, explained that Sandeep, who was initially behaving properly, became angry while in the changing room. After attacking several persons, he especially targeted Dr Vandana, who, like the others, was unable to flee. The accused, a known alcoholic, stabbed her multiple times before being restrained.Sandeep, a teacher in a government-aided upper primary school, had no previous incidents of drug abuse or problematic behaviour documented. However, a neighbour claimed that when he was a drunkard, he frequently made trouble and became violent. The terrible death of Dr Vandana Das, a resident of Manjoor town in the Kottayam district, devastated her family and the entire village. She earned her MBBS from Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences in Kollam and had lately begun her work at the Kottarakkara hospital. Her family was looking forward to her return after her internship. Thus, her unexpected death was a devastating blow.
