Thiruvanthapuram: A 23-year-old doctor was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a man whose leg wound she was dressing at a hospital in Kerala’s Kollam district where he was brought after an alleged fight with his family members.

Dismayed over the killing of the young doctor, the Kerala High Court said the incident was an outcome of the police and government failure and sought a report regarding the incident from the state police chief, who was also asked to be present virtually when the matter is taken up on Thursday morning.

Coming down hard on the government and the police, the HC Bench said it indicated their “failure” to protect doctors and was a “complete breakdown of the protectional system”. According to ADGP (Law and Order) MR Ajith Kumar, the incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when the accused, identified as Sandeep, a schoolteacher, was being taken to the hospital for treatment of the wounds he had suffered allegedly due to a quarrel.