Murder in Kerala hospital: Dr Vandana Das couldn’t run away. She just froze

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Recounting how a routine workday turned into a nightmare, the health staff of the taluk hospital in Kottarakkara said Sandeep went on a rampage after he was taken to the dressing room to treat the wound he had on his hands and legs.
“He grew restless and shouted at the staff when he was told to lie down on the bed. Then he suddenly jumped out of bed and rushed outside where the policemen were standing. We heard someone scream and we knew he was attacking them,’’ said Jayanthi, a nursing assistant.
She was not sure from where he grabbed the surgical scissors. “He might have taken it from the procedure room. He stabbed the policemen first,’’ she said. But Rajesh, the ambulance driver, said Sandeep’s primary target was his relative Binu.
Binu was standing with the policemen, and this provoked him. “He lunged at him with the scissors and the policemen tried to stop him. So, he attacked the policemen and the home guard.’’ He then went berserk, attacking anyone he could find, and everyone started to run and try to get away. “The first thought that flashed through our minds was to protect the women staff. We screamed at everyone to run into the doctors’ room and the nursing station. We pushed them inside and locked the rooms. It was then that we heard someone scream. On opening the door, we saw Sandeep brutally stabbing Dr Vandana Das with the scissors. We did not realize that she was left alone. I think she could not run away, she just froze,’’ said Rajesh.


At first, they thought Sandeep was banging her head into the wall, but then they realized he was stabbing her in her back.
Even after the doctor collapsed to the floor, Sandeep continued stabbing her. It was Rajesh and the security men at the hospital who finally managed to overpower Sandeep. By then, more policemen had reached the hospital and they handcuffed him forcefully