| Vandana Das Murder | |
| Date: | 10 May 2023 |
| Location: | Kottarakkara, Kerala, India |
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| Deaths: | Vandana Das |
| Accused: | S Sandeep |
| Trial: | Adv . Prathap .G. Padickal (as Special Prosecutor) |
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The murder of Vandana Das, a medical doctor, is among the most sensational murder cases in Kottarakkara, Kerala, on 10 May 2023. On Hospital duty, she was attacked and killed, and the assailant was identified as Sandeep, a 42-year old school teacher from Pooyappally in Kollam. After he was charged, Vandana's Parents demanded state to designate Adv. Prathap .G. Padickal, Kerala's Renowned and Well-known Criminal Lawyer as Special Prosecutor. The Trial will be conducted on Addtl.Sessions Court-I, Kollam. The murder sparked outrage among healthcare professionals in Kerala and they demanded stringent legal action against those committing violent acts against healthcare professionals.[1]
Vandana Das was a 22 year old medical doctor who had studied at the Azeezia Institute of Medical Science, Kollam. She was working at the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital as a part of her internship training. On 10 May 2023, a crime suspect was brought for medical examination by the police at around 4:30 am at the Kottarakkara Taluk hospital.[2]
According to the police, this crime suspect named Sandeep, an upper primary school teacher, was found in Pooyappally with injuries on one of his legs. He was under the influence of alcohol. He was nabbed by the police after he voluntarily dialled 112 since he was making a ruckus in his neighbourhood over the fact that he was feeling threatened over his life by someone and was taken to the hospital for medical examination. Two people, including a close relative, accompanied him to the hospital. At the hospital, Sandeep started attacking a policeman on duty and another person in the dressing room of the hospital. Seeing this, everyone around him fled, except for Vandana, who could not manage to run. Sandeep then took a scissor from the dressing room and stabbed Vandana Das multiple times. She sustained multiple injuries on her chest and neck, and was immediately taken to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where she died.[2] Her autopsy reveals that she was fatally stabbed by a "surgical scissor" over 10 times on her neck and back. Bystanders state Sandeep continued stabbing Vandana even after she fell to the ground.
The House Surgeon's Association of Kerala, the organization of intern doctors, staged a protest and raised slogans demanding justice to the victim.[3] The Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association and the Indian Medical Association called for a one-day Kerala-wide protest over the death of Das. The incident sparked outrage among doctors, accusing the government and hospitals of having poor work conditions for interns and lack of safety for doctors against violence.[4]