Sena corporator arrested for assaulting doctors admitted to hospital
What's the story
Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) corporator Ramesh Mhatre has been hospitalized after he was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting doctors and medical staff at a civic-run hospital in Kalyan, Maharashtra's Thane. Mhatre was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after medical services were suspended at KDMC's Rukmai and Shastrinagar hospitals due to the incident. According to police, Mhatre complained of severe chest pain, after which he was found to be suffering from high blood pressure, prostate-related ailments, and kidney-related issues.
Assault incident
Case registered after public outrage
The incident occurred on Monday when Mhatre and his aides assaulted doctors and staff after they advised a pregnant woman's family to move to another hospital, as all beds at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were occupied. The video of the assault led to public outrage and pressure from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which threatened to shut clinics and hospitals in the area unless action was taken. A case was registered against Mhatre and five others on Tuesday night.
Denial and defense
Mhatre denies assaulting doctor
Mhatre denied assaulting the doctor. He insisted that he only hit the doctor's hand to get her off the phone, as "she was not listening to our complaint." "I addressed her informally—using the casual 'Tu'—because she is like a daughter to me...While we were conversing, she kept talking on the phone and was not listening to our grievance, so I tapped her hand," he said. He suggested that if doctors apologized for their behavior, he would express regret.
Family reaction
Investigation underway
Sangeeta Baviskar, mother of doctor Shruti Baviskar, who was allegedly assaulted by Mhatre, welcomed his arrest but demanded transparency in the proceedings. She said it was heartbreaking to see her daughter being beaten and stressed that there was no negligence on her part. "Serving people is a noble profession," she said. The Maharashtra Police had earlier arrested three of the Sena leader's associates in connection with the assault.