A shocking incident happened in US’s Florida, where in a 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, Leelamma Lal, suffered serious facial fracture after a brutal attack. She was attacked by a psychiatric patient at Palms West Hospital in Florida. The attacker, identified as 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, was a patient at the hospital. The incident occurred on February 19. He was apprehended by the police and was charged with attempted second-degree.
What The Accused Said
Beth Newcomb, a sergeant with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, brought Scantlebury’s racist outburst to light while testifying against him during his trial at the Palm Beach County Courthouse. According to Sgt Newcomb, Scantlebury fled from Palms West Hospital shirtless and with medical leads still attached to his chest, and he told her: “Indians are bad. I just beat the s*** out of an Indian doctor.”
The Indian-origin nurse was beaten almost to death in a racist attack by a patient at Palms West Hospital. According to local news report, “Scantlebury beat nurse Leelamma Lal so badly that ‘essentially every bone’ was broken in her face.”
Indian Nurses Association Condemns The Attack
The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida has condemned the attack. The association has called for stronger protections for healthcare workers. The assault on Lal comes just a week after another Indian-origin nurse, Achamma Cherian, was attacked in the UK, raising concerns over the safety of medical professionals from the Indian community.
How Indian Community Reacted
The Hindu American Foundation also spoke out against the attack, sharing a statement on X: “A patient in a Florida hospital has been taken into custody after brutally assaulting nurse Leela Lal, taunting her with remarks like ‘Indians are bad’ and ‘I just beat the sh– out of that Indian doctor.’ The rising anti-India rhetoric is putting lives at risk. This must end.”
Since the attack on the nurse, there has been an outpouring of support for Lal, demanding stricter safety measures in hospitals. A petition calling for harsher penalties for those who assault healthcare workers has gathered over 9,500 signatures in just two days.
