Kollam (Kerala):The brutal murder of the 24-year-old lady doctor, who was stabbed to death on Wednesday at a taluk hospital in Kerala's Kottarakkara by a man whom she was treating, was drunk, police said.
The suddenness of the attack which left Dr Vandana Das, a single child of her parents, dead and four others including cops injured, appeared to be a typical case of a minor tiff which has snowballed into bloodshed by a man who was behaving abnormally, an eyewitness said.
The version of a police officer also pointed towards the attacker's unstable mind due to alcohol consumption. Sandeep, who was taken for a medical examination by the police after being involved in a fight with his family members, was being treated by Dr Vandana for his leg injury, an officer of Kottarakkara police station said. According to him, while the wound on the man's leg was being dressed by the doctor, he suddenly got provoked and attacked everyone standing there using a scissor and a scalpel. The police personnel who accompanied the man were also not spared by him. The doctor was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but could not be saved.
Also read: Kerala: Woman doc dies in hospital stabbing spree, another 4 hurt
Earlier, the man had called the emergency number to save him from his family members following a fight with them. Upon arrival, cops found him injured and took him to the Taluk hospital for medical examination and treatment. "It was a case of drunken madness. The attacker had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. The incident occurred when the doctor was nursing him and we are not allowed into the room," the cop said.
An uproar followed with the man shouting shouting 'I will kill you', pointing towards the doctor who ran screamed and ran for help. It was a terrifying scene as he carried a scissor and a scalpel. Cops are yet to know why he got so violent and targeted the doctor. On being asked to stop, he attacked them too. Besides the doctor, four others were injured by the man who also vandalised some areas of the hospital, the officer said.
Cops somehow managed to take him into custody. He also said that after the attack, a case under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempted murder was lodged, in view of the doctor's death, murder charges are likely to be imposed on the accused.
Meanwhile, the incident has evoked angry reaction from doctors in Kerala Indian Medical Association (IMA) which said doctors across Kerala will be protesting against the same. An IMA official said the doctor was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was at the taluk hospital as part of her training. According to the latest available information, doctors in Kottarakkara are holding protest in the area over the incident.
