A 23-year-old doctor was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a man whose leg wound she was dressing at a hospital in Kerala's Kollam district where he was brought after a fight with his family members.
Dismayed over the killing of the young doctor, the Kerala high court said the incident was an outcome of police and government failure.
Coming down hard at the government and the police, the HC bench said it indicated their "failure" to protect doctors.
According to an officer of Kottarakkara police in the district, while a wound on the leg of the man -- identified as Sandeep -- was being dressed by Dr Vandana Das, he suddenly got provoked and attacked everyone standing there using a scissor and scalpel.
The incident occurred during the early hours of Wednesday and Das succumbed to her injuries a few hours later.
The brunt of the attack was borne by the young doctor while the police personnel who accompanied the man were also injured. She was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but could not be saved.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of the doctor and said the incident was "shocking and extremely painful". He said a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter.
"Assaulting health workers in the line of duty is unacceptable. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. The government will take strong action against attacks on doctors and health workers," Vijayan said in a statement.
The high court said while the police was trained and expected to protect women and children, they failed to protect the young doctor.
"It is a complete failure of the system. Having an aid post in a hospital is not enough. When you (police) knew the man was acting abnormally, you should have restrained him. You should be able to anticipate the unanticipated. Else there is no need for the police. Over time, we have become casual, Did you not fail this girl?" the special bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath asked.
The court added it had on several occasions in the past warned such an incident would occur if nothing was done.
"This is what we were scared of. We had said in the past that something like this could happen," the bench said.
The court said the incident has created a "fear psychosis" among the doctors, medical students and their parents.
"Doctors have gone on strike. What excuse would you give for denial of treatment to thousands of patients as a result? Can you blame the doctors for any problem caused to any patient today due to the strike?" the court asked the state government.
Across the state, members of the Indian Medical Association and the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) protested against the incident.
The Kerala State Human Rights Commission took cognisance of the matter on its own based on media reports and sought a report within seven days from the Kollam district police chief.
The incident kicked off a political row over Health Minister Veena George's statement before the media that the victim was a house surgeon and therefore, inexperienced and got scared when the attack occurred.
Criticising her statement, state Congress chief K Sudhakaran asked what the minister meant by the doctor being inexperienced.
"Does she mean the doctor was inexperienced to counter or defend against an attack by a man addicted to drugs and alcohol. The statement is a joke," he told reporters.
Condoling the death of the doctor, Sudhakaran said it was sad and unfortunate that something like this had happened.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan said the doctor's murder has shaken the entire Kerala society.
He contended it was a dangerous situation that hospitals are not safe places and alleged the doctor was killed due to "negligence of the police".
The Congress leader attacked George too by saying that the minister had ordered the "most number of investigations in the state's history".
Education Minister V Sivankutty also condoled the death and said it was a shocking incident. The education department has placed Sandeep under suspension.
The Bharatiya Janata Party also slammed the ruling Left over the incident.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, while expressing shock and concern over the tragic incident, contended it was a shame that doctors and healthcare workers were not safe in Kerala.
He alleged that the "apathy and callousness" of the Pinarayi Vijayan government and its "misgovernance" were tarnishing the image of the state and bringing disrepute to it.
"Shocked to learn about the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das and attack on hospital staff in Kottarakkara. Atrocious that dreaded criminals are cut loose, endangering the lives of life savers. Deeply concerned about the safety of doctors and healthcare workers in Kerala."
"Shame that doctors and healthcare workers are not safe in Kerala, which is a renowned global destination for medical tourism and has a rich legacy of various streams of medicine and healthcare. The apathy and callousness of @pinarayivijayan and the misgovernance of @CPIMKerala is tarnishing that image and bringing disrepute to the State. It's a disgrace that @pinarayivijayan government can't keep our doctors safe," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, KGMOA protested against the doctor's killing. In a statement issued by its president Dr T N Suresh, the union of government medical professionals said all services except emergency treatment will be suspended today in Kollam district.
It sought exemplary punishment for those responsible for the incident and demanded that stringent measures be put in place to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
It also urged the government to strengthen security in hospitals, ensure due precautions are taken when bringing accused in custody for medical examination and urgently implement a triage system.
Medical professionals came out on the streets in Kottarakkara in protest against the incident. Protests were seen at some other hospitals in the state as well.
Describing what happened the hospital, an officer of Kottarakkara police station said Sandeep had called the emergency helpline to save him from his family members following a fight with them.
When police arrived at the scene, they found him injured and took him to the taluk hospital for medical examination and treatment.
"He had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. He was alone with the doctor as we are not allowed into the room when a patient's wound is being dressed.Suddenly, there was commotion and the doctor ran out screaming for help followed by the man who was carrying a scissor and a scalpel and was shouting 'I will kill you'," the officer said and added it was not yet known why he got so violent and targeted the doctor.
When the officers at the scene tried to stop him, 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.
"He was later subdued with much difficulty and taken into custody," the officer said. While after the attack, a case under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code for attempted murder was lodged, the officer stated that in view of the doctor's death, murder charges are likely to be imposed on the accused.
Reacting to the incident, an IMA official said it was an unfortunate and sad incident and doctors across Kerala will be protesting against the same.
The official added the victim doctor was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was at the taluk hospital as part of her training.
Several attempts were made to resuscitate her, but she could not be saved, the IMA official said.
