Thane hospital row: 3 Shiv Sena corporator's associates arrested after assault on female doctor, staff
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Thane hospital row: 3 Shiv Sena corporator's associates arrested after assault on female doctor, staff")
The assault took place at the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital. Photograph: (X/@RShivshankar)
The incident occurred on Monday evening at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Kalyan after doctors Srishti Bawiskar and Vaibhav Salunkhe advised a newborn's family to shift the infant to another hospital because no beds were available in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Three individuals have been apprehended in connection with the assault on doctors and medical staff at a Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) hospital in the Thane district of Maharashtra. As a result, the incident has triggered outrage among the medical fraternity and political circles. The arrested individuals have been identified as Ramesh Pawar, Akshay Karande and Shailesh Nikam.
All three were reportedly present along with Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre when the assault took place at the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital. Police are also expected to record the statement of another victim as the investigation continues. The development comes after a video of doctors being assaulted at the hospital surfaced online quickly.
The incident occurred on Monday evening at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Kalyan after doctors Srishti Bawiskar and Vaibhav Salunkhe advised a newborn's family to shift the infant to another hospital because no beds were available in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), according to several media reports.
According to police, the family allegedly contacted corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital with several associates. The group allegedly verbally abused and assaulted the two doctors, leaving Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe injured. A video of the incident, purportedly showing the corporator attacking the doctors, later circulated widely on social media, triggering widespread outrage.
KDMC Medical Health Officer Dr Deepa Shukla, along with hospital staff, contacted the police late on Monday night. But even after approaching, no FIR was registered immediately, triggering protests from hospital employees due to the delay. They staged a “work-stop" agitation seeking action against those responsible. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) representatives from Kalyan and Dombivli, along with civic workers’ unions, also met KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goyal.
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IMA warns
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) warned that private hospitals and clinics across the region would remain closed on Wednesday unless police registered an FIR and arrested those responsible for the assault. Amid growing pressure, police on Tuesday night booked Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, four of his supporters and a woman under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to assault on a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, intentional insult, unlawful assembly and rioting.
Meanwhile, Mhatre denied allegations that he assaulted women doctors or nursing staff, asserting that the CCTV footage may have given a misleading impression of the incident. “I express regret over the incident of assault that took place. I state with full confidence that I did not raise my hand against the female doctor. What appears in the CCTV footage might look that way due to the camera angle," Mhatre said at a press conference.
He added, “I address her informally (using ‘tu’) because she is like a daughter to me. I am not even aware of whether she is married or not. While we were conversing, she kept talking on the phone and was not listening to our grievance; that is why I tapped her on the hand."
