KOZHIKODE: A grieving man stormed Thamarassery Taluk Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, armed with a machete and brutally attacked Dr Vipin P T, the casualty medical officer on duty. The attack occurred around 1.30 pm, leaving Dr Vipin with a fractured skull and head injuries. He was immediately shifted to Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode, where he remains under intensive neurosurgical care.
According to eyewitness accounts, the assailant, Sanoop, a local resident, arrived at the hospital accompanied by his two young children. He had been visiting the hospital repeatedly over the past two months, seeking an explanation from the hospital staff regarding the death of his nine-year-old daughter Anaya, who succumbed to a rare amoebic meningoencephalitis infection on August 14. Frustrated over what he perceived as negligence and lack of transparency from the hospital, Sanoop reportedly lost control when informed that the hospital’s Medical Superintendent was unavailable for a meeting.
According to Sudhakaran, a senior lab technician who witnessed the attack, he had gone to the superintendent’s office around 1.30pm to discuss a matter related to a patient’s blood sample.
“While I was talking to the doctor about blood collection, Sanoop suddenly entered the room with a machete. He shouted, ‘You are the one who killed my daughter!’ and struck Dr Vipin on the head. Though several of us tried to stop him, he had already inflicted a serious blow,” Sudhakaran recounted.
Anil, another staff member present at the time, said that if bystanders hadn’t intervened quickly, the doctor could have been fatally injured.
“A few of us who tried to stop him also sustained minor injuries,” he added. Dr Kiran, a colleague of the injured doctor, confirmed that the attack was completely unprovoked. “Sanoop had hidden the weapon in a bag. He attacked from close range, but fortunately, the wound wasn’t too deep because others intervened immediately,” he said.
The hospital staff and bystanders managed to overpower Sanoop and alert the Thamarassery Police, who arrived within minutes and took him into custody. The machete used in the attack was also seized from the scene.
Grief and accusations
Police investigations revealed that Sanoop’s actions stemmed from a deep conviction that hospital negligence had contributed to his daughter’s death. His daughter, Anaya, was admitted to Thamarassery Taluk Hospital with high fever and lethargy before being transferred to Kozhikode Medical College as her condition worsened. She died en route.
Medical reports later confirmed that Anaya suffered from amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by the Naegleria fowleri parasite, typically found in contaminated freshwater.
Health officials had stated that the infection might have originated from a nearby pond where Anaya and other children had bathed. However, Sanoop refused to accept this explanation. “He kept asking why, among twenty children who swam there, only his daughter was infected,” said a health official.
The father’s frustration reportedly grew when the hospital authorities failed to provide a clear cause of death or issue a death certificate, fuelling his suspicions of wrongdoing.
According to Sanoop’s wife, the family had been visiting the hospital every day since the tragedy, pleading for answers. “It is our right to know how our daughter died. He was broken and helpless, not violent by nature,” she said, describing her husband’s deteriorating mental state.
Police action and probe
Police have charged Sanoop under Sections 118(2) and 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under Sections 3 and 4 of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act. Thamarassery DySP P Chandramohan is leading the investigation.
In addition, Sanoop faces charges, including attempted murder, trespassing, and assault with a weapon. Authorities are also investigating security lapses at the hospital, as there was no police aid post at the time of the attack.
According to District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr K Rajaram, who visited the hospital after the incident, Dr Vipin is stable and out of danger. “He has a skull fracture and will require minor surgery to prevent infection. His vitals are stable, and he is under close observation in the Neurosurgery ICU,” the DMO said.
Health Minister Veena George condemned the attack, calling it “deplorable and against all moral and human values.” She assured that strict legal action will be taken and that the government will review existing hospital security arrangements. “The state will not tolerate violence against healthcare professionals. Hospitals are places of healing, not fear,” the minister said.
