Grief Turns Violent: Kerala Doctor Attacked with Machete by Grieving Father After Child’s Death from Brain Infection

October 8, 2025, Kozhikode, Kerala: On October 8, 2025, Dr. Vipin PT, a medical officer at the Thamarassery Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode district, Kerala, was attacked inside the hospital premises. The assailant, identified as Sanoop, is the father of a nine-year-old girl who had died in August from amoebic meningoencephalitis.

According to media reports, Sanoop entered the hospital along with his two children seeking to meet the Medical Superintendent. He entered the casualty area after asking the children to wait outside and proceeded inside. When the Superintendent was unavailable, Dr. Vipin intervened. During that interaction, Sanoop is said to have attacked Dr. Vipin with a machete, striking him on the head. Staff at the hospital locked doors and sought help, and police were alerted.

Dr. Vipin sustained a serious head injury with cortical breach, a minor skull fracture and was moved to Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode for further care. He will undergo a surgery to recover completely.

In his assault, Sanoop reportedly accused the doctor of being responsible for his daughter’s death, saying, “You are the one who killed my daughter.” But reports suggest that Dr. Vipin himself had not treated the girl and had newly joined the hospital.

The police have taken Sanoop into custody and are expected to file charges related to the assault.

The girl in question, named Anaya, died on August 14, 2025. She was initially treated at Thamarassery Taluk Hospital, then referred to Kozhikode Medical College, but died shortly after admission.

Earlier, after the death of his daughter, Sanoop had publicly alleged that the doctors at the Taluk hospital did not provide adequate care. He claimed that when his child first presented with fever and related symptoms, she was sent home with oral medications rather than being admitted for close observation. He further asserted that when her condition worsened and the mother requested administration of an intravenous (IV) line, that request was refused by the doctors.

Following the child’s death, Sanoop expressed distress over several unresolved issues. He questioned why the government had not clarified how or where his daughter contracted the disease, and he alleged that the results of microbiological testing of water sources—samples collected to identify the pathogen—were not released even after a month. According to his neighbors, Sanoop had visited Taluk hospital to obtain the results and the death certificate multiple times over this period but was ignored. Neighbors also echoed discontent about the delay of the test results. He also raised a concern about that discrepancy, asking why others using the same water did not develop disease, thereby suggesting possible gaps in investigation transparency.

Only, investigations after death confirmed that Anaya had contracted amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection caused by free-living amoebae. Her younger brother had also tested positive for the same infection later, possibly contracted from the same source and recovered after a long treatment duration.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis (also called PAM or brain-eating amoeba infection) is usually caused when a pathogenic amoeba enters the body through the nose—often during swimming or bathing in warm, untreated water—and then travels to the brain, causing inflammation and tissue destruction. The disease has a high fatality rate—globally estimated above 95–97 percent—and is rarely survivable without early diagnosis and aggressive therapy.

Kerala had reported a high number of cases of Primary Amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) this year. Kerala health department confirmed 67 cases and 18 deaths due to brain-eating amoeba this year, according to revised figures.

This incident has triggered protests by doctors in Kozhikode district, with medical staff going on strike in demand of better protection and security in hospitals. Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) strongly condemned the attack and has declared a lightning strike in the strike exempting the emergency services. The attack also underscores the risks that healthcare personnel face, especially in emotionally charged circumstances involving patient deaths. KGMOA has raised complaints about the lack of security. Indian Medical Association is also meeting today to decide about further protests.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George described the incident as “shocking” and said that “stern action will be initiated” against those responsible. The State government invoked provisions under the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act in the FIR against the attacker.¹

Reference:

1. R. Kunnath et al., “Workplace Violence Faced by Medical Doctors in Kerala,” PMC (2023).
2. “Violence Against Healthcare Workers in India,” Think Global Health, January 23, 2025, https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/whats-driving-violence-against-health-workers-india.

(Rh/TL/MSM)