Dr Vandana Das murder: Family criticises Kerala government for opposing CBI probe in high court

Related: Kerala High Court says no to CBI inquiry into Dr Vandana Das murder

‘Wanted to know the truth’

An emotional Mohandas said he and his wife wanted to know the truth behind the killing of their only daughter.

Dr Vandana Das was stabbed to death by a patient at a taluk hospital in Kollam district in May last year.

“Our case seeking a CBI probe was postponed 20 times. Six judges heard many portions of the plea. All these times, I and my wife went to court to hear the arguments. The state government vehemently opposed our plea. I don’t know why,” he said.

He said the family never said anything against the government so far.

The man also said the family demanded a CBI probe out of their belief that the truth won’t come out unless an agency outside the state investigates it.

“As an Indian citizen, I have the right to know the truth behind my daughter’s murder. I hope that we will get justice,” he further said.

He pointed out that there were several judgements by the apex court saying that a CBI probe can be granted in such cases if parents demand so.

While the plea was considered by the high court, even some judges asked why the government was opposing the demand vehemently, he added.

Related: ‘Making laws not enough, doctors should be protected real-time’

The high court order

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed the parents’ plea seeking a CBI probe into the killing saying there is no reason to doubt the integrity or credibility of the police investigation.

The high court also dismissed the bail plea of the accused, citing the “heinous” nature of the crime committed by him, and said it could not ignore the prosecution’s assertion that the accused would be a threat to society if released.

Pointing to the seriousness of the crime, Justice Bechu Kurian noted that the accused “sat beside her (victim) and continued to stab her, despite the hapless victim falling to the ground.”

“Since the petitioners have not been able to point out any specific reason to doubt the integrity or credibility of the investigation, this court finds no reason to interfere with the investigation already conducted or to transfer it to the CBI. Accordingly, there is no merit in this writ petition, and it is dismissed,” the court said.

The victim’s parents, in their plea, had alleged that the Kottarakkara police in a haste to wash their hands clean had fabricated the First Information Statement allegedly given by the friend of the deceased which was obtained intercepting him midway to the hospital while taking her for treatment.

The petition had also said that the police have been investigating the crime with a very “lackadaisical and apathetic approach” to “hide their security lapses”.

Related: ‘Making laws not enough, doctors should be protected real-time’

What happened on 10 May?

Dr Vandana Das, a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents, was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.

The accused, G Sandeep, a school teacher by profession, was brought to the hospital by police for the treatment of a leg injury on 10 May, 2023.

He had dialled the emergency number 112, claiming his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing away from his home, surrounded by residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg and a stick in his hand.

He was taken to the hospital accompanied by his brother-in-law and a local political party leader.

As his wound was being dressed, he turned violent. He initially stabbed the politician and a policeman, and then stabbed Dr Das multiple times. She succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was taken after the attack.

(With PTI inputs)