Man who stabbed doctor to death in Kerala sent to five-day police custody

A court in Kerala on Tuesday sent to five days in police custody a school teacher accused of killing a young woman doctor in a taluk hospital in Kollam when he was taken for medical examination by the police.

Judicial (First Class) Magistrate-I Rajesh CB granted the custody of G Sandeep to the Crime Branch which is investigating last week’s brutal killing of Dr Vandana Das, 23.

The court at Kottarakkara also told the police to have Sandeep medically examined to know if he has a fracture in the legs and to provide him treatment, a lawyer said.

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The man’s custody will end on May 20. The accused can also meet his lawyer for 15 minutes every alternate day during the custody.

The Crime Branch, represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Shyla Mathai, sought custody of the accused for interrogation, to collect evidence and to confront him with witnesses.

Dr Vandana Das, from Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam district and the only child of her parents, was a house surgeon at the Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.

The killing

Sandeep, who was brought there by the police for medical treatment on May 10, suddenly snatched a pair of surgical scissors in the room and stabbed the doctor and police officers.

She was stabbed 11 times and succumbed to her injuries.

The gory attack triggered protests in hospitals across Kerala, with healthcare professionals, medical interns, students and house surgeons observing a strike for two days.

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The Kerala High Court slammed the state government and the police for failing to protect the doctor.

The High Court directed the police to come out with fresh protocols to ensure safety of those working in the healthcare and health science education fields.

(With agency inputs)