Published Mar 17, 2026 | 12:26 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2026 | 12:26 PM
A life cut short: Dr. Vandana Das. (Supplied)
Synopsis: The Kollam Additional Sessions Court found Sandeep guilty in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das, a young house surgeon. The incident, which also saw police personnel being assaulted, sent shockwaves across the state. The case was built on strong evidentiary grounds, including crucial CCTV footage from the hospital.
Ending the wait in a case that shook Kerala’s conscience and forced a hard look at the safety of those in white coats, the Kollam Additional Sessions Court on Tuesday, 17 March, found Sandeep guilty in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das. A young house surgeon, Dr Vandana, was brutally killed while on duty at the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital in May 2023.
The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday.
The lone accused, Sandeep, a native of Kudavattoor, was brought to the hospital by police for a medical examination on 10 May 2023.
In a shocking turn of events, he attacked Dr Vandana with a pair of scissors, fatally stabbing her inside the hospital premises. The incident, which also saw police personnel being assaulted, sent shockwaves across the state.
The case was built on strong evidentiary grounds, including crucial CCTV footage from the hospital.
During the trial, more than 70 witnesses were examined, including around 50 doctors — the highest number of doctors appearing as prosecution witnesses in a murder case in the state.
The prosecution placed 22 material exhibits and 27 documents as evidence before the court and sought the maximum punishment for the accused.
Earlier, when the trial was scheduled, the accused had approached the Supreme Court seeking bail. However, a mental evaluation ordered by the apex court found that he was fit to stand trial, following which the bail plea was rejected.
The trial proceeded thereafter, and the court had also dismissed a release petition filed by the accused.
The case was investigated by a team led by Kollam Rural Crime Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) MM Jose.
The incident occurred on 10 May 2023, when Dr Vandana, a house surgeon at Assisi Medical College, was on duty at Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital.
The murder triggered widespread outrage and protests by healthcare workers across Kerala, bringing hospital safety into sharp focus.
Doctors, nurses and other medical staff took to the streets, demanding urgent and concrete measures to protect them from violence in workplaces that are meant to save lives.
The accused, a government school teacher, was later dismissed from service.
The incident prompted the state to come out with an ordinance amending the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012.
Exactly a week after the murder, the state Cabinet approved the ordinance by including stringent penal provisions against the perpetrators of violence against hospitals and expanding the scope of the definition of healthcare workers.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
