Doctor stabbed to death in Kerala by man she was treating
Opposition slams govt over incident while medical bodies stage protest
Kollam/Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): A 23-year-old doctor was stabbed to death on Wednesday at a taluk hospital in Kerala's Kollam district allegedly by a man, a school teacher under suspension, who was brought there by police after being involved in a fight with his family members.
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 doctor 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 morning 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. The doctor 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 in 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.
Both the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) doctors protested across the state against the incident. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission, based on media reports of the incident, on its own initiated a case and sought a report within seven days from the District Police Chief of Kollam.
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, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran questioned 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 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 that it was a dangerous situation that hospitals are not safe places and alleged that the doctor was killed due to "negligence of the police".
Education Minister V Sivankutty also condoled the death and said it was a shocking incident. He said the government will take all necessary steps under the law including departmental action against the accused, who is a school teacher.
The state government came under fire from the Congress and the BJP with both parties alleging that it has done little to ensure safety of healthcare workers at their workplaces.
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" was 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.
Speaking along similar lines, Satheesan alleged it was deplorable that the state government has done little to ensure safety of healthcare workers.
He said there were widespread problems in the health department and in each case only inquiries were announced and beyond that nothing else happened. The Congress leader attacked George too by saying that the minister had ordered the "most number of investigations in the state's history".
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.
KGMOA 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. Similar protests were seen at some other hospitals in the state as well. Giving details of what transpired in the hospital, an officer of Kottarakkara police station said the man 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 a 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.
"Such incidents should not happen. We (doctors) cannot continue working in such circumstances. It is unacceptable that our lives are in danger when we are trying to save lives. We had in the past too indicated our objections to such attacks on medical professionals. We are angry and sad over the incident," he said.
The IMA official said the 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 her life could not be saved, the IMA official said.
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'Homebound' makes it to Oscar shortlist for best international feature
Mumbai (PTI): Neeraj Ghaywan's much acclaimed "Homebound" is among the 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars, moving a step close to the final five nominations and maybe a win.
The movie, inspired by a true story that became the basis of a news article during the pandemic, has been creating a global buzz since its debut in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival this May.
Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese is a fan and has come onboard as an executive producer ahead of the award season.
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, and starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, "Homebound" is Ghaywan's second movie after "Masaan".
"Homebound" will compete for an Oscar nomination alongside Argentina's “Belén”, Brazil's “The Secret Agent”, French drama "It Was Just an Accident”, Germany's "Sound of Falling” and Iraq's "The President's Cake".
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The other movies in the shortlist include Japan's “Kokuho”, Jordan's “All That’s Left of You”, Norway's “Sentimental Value”, Palestine's “Palestine 36”, South Korean hit “No Other Choice”, Spain's “Sirat”, "Late Shift" from Switzerland, “Left-Handed Girl”from Taiwan and Tunisian drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in a release on Tuesday.
The award for best foreign film, now re-categorised as best international feature, has so far eluded India.
Only three Indian films have received nominations in the category -- Mehmood Khan’s “Mother India”, Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay” and Ashutosh Gowarikar’s “Lagaan”. Deepa Mehta’s “Water”, starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray, also received a nomination but it was submitted from Canada.
Gujarati film "Chhello Show" in 2023 was the last film to get shortlisted.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya was the first Indian to get an Oscar, bagging the coveted prize in 1983 for the film "Gandhi". Other than her, A R Rahman, Resul Pukootty and M M Keeravani have also won individual Oscars.
Team "Homebound" celebrated the shortlist news with posts on social media.
"We made the shortlist... Way to go team Homebound'!" Johar shared in Instagram Stories.
In a post, the producer said it was difficult for him to articulate how "proud and elated" he was with the news.
"All of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography... thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true... from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film! Upwards and onwards...."
Ghaywan also shared the news on X.
"#Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards! We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we've received from around the world," he wrote on X with a special poster of the film.
Jethwa, who plays one of the two friends in the story opposite Ishaan Khatter, said the moment feels "surreal and incredibly humbling".
"To see 'Homebound' being shortlisted and progressing towards the Oscars is something I could have only dreamed of. I am deeply grateful for the love and support the film has received from audiences around the world," he said as he acknowledged Johar, Ghaywan and co-star Khatter and the rest of the team.
Khatter also shared the news on his Instagram stories and wrote, "Oscar ab dur nahi".
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"Homebound" is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer's The New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home”, also titled "A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway".
The film portrays the childhood friendship between a Muslim and Dalit who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied due to their surnames.
The Academy on Tuesday also announced shortlists in 11 other categories, including the newly added casting Oscars, animated shorts, cinematography, documentary feature, documentary short, original score and song, sound and visual effects categories.
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Twenty-four categories will be awarded at the 98th Oscars. Each category has five nominees, except for best picture, which has 10.
The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
