A Shiv Sena corporator, Ramesh Mhatre, was arrested by Maharashtra Police on Wednesday, days after he allegedly assaulted two doctors inside a municipal hospital in the Kalyan-Dombivli region of Maharashtra.
The arrest follows the circulation of CCTV footage from the incident, which occurred at a civic-run hospital in Dombivli on Monday. The video went viral on social media, triggering widespread outrage and protests by members of the medical fraternity.
According to hospital authorities, the incident began after a woman underwent a caesarean delivery. Doctors found that the newborn required specialised medical care because the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around the baby's neck. However, the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was at full capacity, making it impossible to admit the infant.
Doctors advised the family to shift the baby to another hospital for further treatment. Hospital authorities alleged that the patient's relatives then contacted corporator Ramesh Mhatre. As the doctors were attending to other patients and could not answer his calls, Mhatre allegedly arrived at the hospital accompanied by several associates.
CCTV footage showed Mhatre and a group of men entering the hospital and allegedly assaulting two gynaecologists, Dr Srushti Baviskar and Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe. The doctors also alleged that the corporator verbally abused them without first understanding the medical circumstances surrounding the case.
Dr Salunkhe sustained injuries during the incident, while two nurses, Namita Ubale and Dravya Giri, who intervened to protect the doctors, were allegedly pushed and manhandled.
The doctors further claimed that while leaving the hospital, Mhatre threatened them and other staff members, saying, "Come outside the hospital, I will finish you."
Mhatre, however, expressed regret over the incident while denying that he had assaulted the female doctor.
"I regret the physical altercation 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," he said.
Claiming that he addressed the doctor informally because he regarded her "like a daughter", Mhatre said he merely tapped her hand while trying to speak to her.
"While we were conversing, she kept talking on the phone and was not listening to our grievance, so I tapped her hand," he said.
The corporator attributed the confrontation to what he described as shortcomings in the hospital's functioning and said efforts would be made to address them.
Following the incident, the matter was reported to Municipal Commissioner Abhinav Goyal, after which a police complaint was lodged against Mhatre and his associates.
The assault sparked protests by doctors, who demanded strict action against the corporator and those accompanying him. They also warned that they would not resume work until a police case was registered and arrests were made. After reviewing the CCTV footage, police launched an investigation and subsequently arrested Mhatre.
Meanwhile, Thane Lok Sabha MP Naresh Mhaske issued a statement from Delhi distancing the Shiv Sena from the incident and confirming that internal disciplinary action had been initiated against the corporator.
"The party has not supported the incident that occurred, nor will it ever support it. The assault was indeed committed by Mhatre. Even though he is a senior leader who has been elected five to six times, the party will not condone this behaviour," Mhaske said.
He added that the party leadership had served a show-cause notice to the accused corporator.
