Dr Vandana Das death: Kerala High Court asks police chief to examine allegations about police role

The Kerala High Court has ordered the State Police Chief to examine whether the alleged role of police officials in the Dr. Vandana Das murder case is being properly investigated.

The Court has directed the State Police Chief to call for the case diary and submit a report on certain concerns raised by the parents of 23-year-old Dr. Vandana Das, who was stabbed to death earlier this year by a man brought for medical examination by the police.

The parents have alleged that the role of errant police officials is not being investigated. Appearing for the parents, Senior Advocate P Vijaya Bhanu also told the Court that the chargesheet now seems to favour the accused.

Justice PV Kunhikrishnan has, therefore, asked the Police chief to hear the parents on these concerns and file a report, if possible, within two weeks.

"This is a case in which a young doctor was murdered and it affected the conscience of the entire society. In such situation, according to me, the State Police Chief should summon the case diary in this case and hear the petitioners and redress the grievance of the petitioners if possible and submit a report before this Court. Such a report should be placed before this Court within two weeks," the Court's October 3 order stated.

The Court was hearing the plea filed by the parents of Dr. Vandana Das to transfer the investigation into her murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The parents have raised apprehensions that police may try to hide their own security lapses in the case.

The matter will be heard next on October 18.

In the early hours of May 10, Dr. Das was stabbed to death by a school teacher named Sandeep who had been brought to the hospital for medical examination by the police after he was injured in a brawl.

The doctor's parents (petitioners) later moved a plea before the High Court alleging that the police officers have been investigating the case in a very lackadaisical and apathetic manner so that they could wash their hands of any responsibility and hide their own security lapses.

The petitioners further claimed that they received no reply from the hospital and police authorities in spite of enquiring several times about developments in the case.

“It looks like the police are acting in the influence and coercion of some higher persons of whom the petitioners have no knowledge,” the petitioners alleged.

Therefore, the petitioners sought a transfer of the investigation into their daughter's death to the CBI.

“The petitioners fear that justice would not be served and an unfair investigation would be conducted especially in the light that the police themselves were catalysts to the heinous crime that occurred,” the plea said.

[Read Order]