Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Mhatre was arrested by police on CCTV and found to have assaulted a woman doctor in a municipal hospital of Maharashtra’s Dombivli town and has been remanded in police custody for three days. This incident has raised concerns about the safety of health workers in government hospitals and has galvanised the public and medical fraternity.
Mhatre was in a local court Friday after being arrested earlier this week in connection with the attack on July 6 at Shastri Nagar Hospital, run by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).
His court appearance came a day after the court refused a police request for him to be produced via video conferencing to show him in the courtroom to be arrested. Mhatre had been found to have chest pain and had high blood pressure after his arrest and was admitted to a hospital. But the court ordered him to be physically produced.
Police have registered a case against Mhatre and five others in connection with the incident. Four other co-accused were also produced before the court on Friday, including the corporator.
Assault Allegedly Triggered by Medical Advice
According to hospital officials, the confrontational situation started after doctors Srushti Baviskar and Vaibhav Salunkhe told the family of a newborn to send the baby to another hospital as they were full of newborns and the baby needed specialist treatment.
The relatives contacted Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital accompanied by several supporters.
CCTV footage that later went viral on social media allegedly shows Mhatre approaching Dr. Baviskar from behind while she was speaking on her mobile phone. He appears to strike her hand, causing the phone to fall, before his supporters began challenging other members of the hospital staff.
Images taken following the scene showed doctors and health workers clearly distressed, which was widely criticized by medical associations and civil society.
"I Only Hit the Phone," Claims Mhatre
Despite the viral footage, Mhatre has denied assaulting the doctor.
According to NDTV after his arrest, Shiv Sena corporator said that he never intended to attack the woman doctor.
"I did not attack the woman doctor at the hospital. I just hit the doctor's hand to get her off the phone because she wasn't listening to our complaint," he said.
He maintained that he merely “slapped the phone” and said his intervention saved the lives of the mother and newborn.
"Our action saved the life of a woman and her child. We don’t care about anything else,” Mhatre said.
The corporator also refused to apologise for his actions, accusing the doctors of being arrogant and stating that he would apologise only if the medical staff apologised first.
Assaulted Doctors Resign, Leave the City
The incident has had a profound impact on the two doctors involved.
Both Dr. Srushti Baviskar and Dr. Vaibhav Salunkhe resigned from their positions and left Dombivli, due to their safety.
"I resigned because there’s a lot of fear. Goons are watching us, and I have already left the city. They are very dangerous people. Other doctors can continue working there, but I cannot. I will not go back there again," Dr. Salunkhe said.
Their resignations have renewed calls from doctors’ associations to strengthen legal protection for healthcare professionals and to take stronger action against those who assault medical workers while on duty.
The case is still being investigated by police and CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence are being examined. The incident has once again brought back into focus the growing issues of violence against doctors and the need for a safe working environment in hospitals across the country.
