A woman doctor on duty at a government hospital in Kerala’s Kollam district was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a school teacher who was brought to the facility for a medical examination by the Police.

The incident took place at the government taluk hospital in Kottarakkara, police said. The doctor later succumbed to stab injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted this morning.

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According to police, the incident took place at 4.30 am today when the S Sandeep (42) out of the blue stabbed house surgeon, Vandana Das (23) when she was dressing his wounds.

Sandeep, who is a school teacher, was taken into police custody from his house on Tuesday night after a brawl with his neighbours. He was brought to the government hospital by Police for a mandatory medical checkup when he turned violent.

Having grabbed scissors from the dressing room, Sandeep, who was reportedly under treatment in a deaddiction centre, stabbed Vandana six times causing injuries to her abdomen and back.

He also attacked others and vandalised the hospital. A home guard and a sub-inspector also sustained stab injuries, police said.

The stab wounds were so deep that Vandana Das sustained an injury to her lungs, according to doctors at the private hospital where she was brought immediately after the incident.

Indian Medical Association(IMA) and Kerala Government Medical Officer’s Association (KGMOA) said they will boycott the non-essential duties on Wednesday as a mark of protest.

Meanwhile, Kerala High Court will hold a special sitting on this incident. While announcing the decision, a division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath expressed shock at this incident.

Union Minister V Muraleedharan tweeted, “Shocked to learn about the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das & 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 & healthcare workers in Kerala.”

“The apathy & callousness of @pinarayivijayan & the misgovernance of @CPIMKerala is tarnishing that image & bringing disrepute to the State. It’s a disgrace that @pinarayivijayan Govt can’t keep our Doctors Safe,” the Union Minister posted.

Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran expressed shock at the incident and demanded that the ruling CPI(M) dismiss the “incompetent home minister”.

“A heinous act of violence claims the life of a promising young doctor, stabbed to death by a patient in police custody at a government hospital in Kerala,” Sudhakaran tweeted.

“The alarming rise in attacks across the state is unacceptable. @cpimspeak

must display political integrity and immediately dismiss the incompetent Home Minister responsible for this failure to ensure safety and dignity in the workplace,” he added.