Kerala doc assaulted in Malappuram says attackers wanted her to admit on video she killed a patient

Dr Sini Jaleel, 48, a gynaecologist at Perinthalmanna Taluk Hospital, who was assaulted in her consultation room, still can't shake off the trauma. A group of 4 women, a patient's relatives, barged into her room and allegedly subjected her to assault on April 2, leaving her with fractures and contusions. The incident sparked intense outrage among the medical community, with doctors' collectives strongly condemning the attack on the doctor. 

Dr Sini has been discharged from the hospital. “If they had a knife, I would have been the next Vandana Das,” she said, recounting the murder of Dr Vandana Das at Kottarakkara taluk hospital in 2023. Kollam Additional Sessions Court recently sentenced the convict, G Sandeep, to life imprisonment. 

She said that the women came on the pretext of consulting her. “Nine days after a patient who had come for delivery passed away, four women came to my clinic seeking consultation. At the time, I did not know they were related to the patient. My staff gave them a token and allowed them in. When I wasn’t looking, they locked the door and took my phone.”

“They pulled my hands and legs and pushed me to the ground, threw my belongings around and damaged them. For the next 15 to 20 minutes, everything was a blur. They shoved me. They pinned me against the wall and repeatedly hit me on my face and body. They wanted me to admit on video that I had killed the patient. That is when I recognised one of the women as a bystander of the patient,” she said.

According to Dr Sini, she tried to explain the cause of death and that no wrongdoing had occurred, but they refused to listen. “They recorded the incident, intending to post it on social media and humiliate me. My staff, sensing something was wrong, forced the door open. The women then fled. I was in shock and later contacted my husband,” she said.

She added that the patient’s relatives had not raised any complaints at the taluk hospital where she was initially admitted or at the private hospital to which the patient was later referred. “If they had lodged a complaint, I could have been alerted,” she said. Dr Sini sustained a nasal bone fracture, wrist bone fracture, multiple haematomas and contusions, along with severe mental trauma. “In so many years of medical practice, I have never faced anything like this, not even a verbal altercation,” she added.

Detailing the medical case, she said the patient had been admitted for delivery and initially planned for a normal birth. “As the patient became exhausted, I used suction. She was stable initially but later developed heavy bleeding. We initiated primary management, but when it did not stop, she was referred to a nearby private hospital. I called the casualty, the superintendent and the doctors to alert them that we are coming. I accompanied her in the ambulance along with my staff. At the hospital, she was immediately rushed to the operating theatre for a hysterectomy, but suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away on the table,” Dr Sini said.

Following a complaint at the Perinthalmanna police station, four women identified as Aasya, Khadeeja, Shaharban and Jumaila were arrested on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody after being produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court (JFMC), Perinthalmanna. SHO of Perinthalmanna station said the attack was carried out in connection with the patient’s death. The accused have not secured bail.

The arrests were made based on CCTV footage and the doctor’s statement. The case was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, house-trespass, causing hurt and grievous hurt, attempt to commit culpable homicide, assault against a woman, criminal intimidation, and common intention. Section 4(11) of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012, has also been invoked.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) had called a strike, suspending outpatient services at taluk and district hospitals. “Our demand was the immediate arrest of the accused. Now that it has been done, we have called off the strike,” said Dr Janif K, Perinthalmanna office-bearer in charge of the Association.