Kalyan hospital assault: Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre arrested after viral CCTV video
Kalyan: Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre has been arrested in connection with the alleged assault on doctors and hospital staff at a Kalyan civic hospital, days after a video of the incident sparked outrage, protests by the medical fraternity and demands for immediate action.
Police confirmed that Mhatre is the fourth accused to be taken into custody in the case registered at Vishnu Nagar Police Station in Dombivli. Three other accused were arrested earlier and have been remanded to two days' police custody.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Atul Zende said the investigation is progressing under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
"Yesterday, the FIR was registered in Vishnu Nagar Police Station, and three accused were arrested last night itself. Those three accused were produced before a competent court today, where they have been sent to 2 days. Additionally, we have arrested the fourth accused in this case, namely Ramesh Mhatre, and we are proceeding in this case as per the provisions," he said.
The case stems from an incident at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation's (KDMC) Shastri Nagar Hospital, where doctors reportedly advised the family of a newborn to shift the baby to another hospital because no beds were available in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
According to police, the family contacted Mhatre after receiving the medical advice. The corporator allegedly reached the hospital with his associates, where doctors and hospital employees were abused and assaulted. Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe sustained injuries during the incident, while another doctor, Dr Srishti Bawiskar, was also allegedly targeted.
The incident gained statewide attention after CCTV footage of the alleged assault surfaced on social media, prompting condemnation from doctors' associations and political leaders.
FIR after protests by doctors
Hospital employees and members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) demanded immediate police action, staging protests and warning of a shutdown of private hospitals and clinics if those responsible were not booked.
Police subsequently registered a case against Mhatre and others under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including assault on a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting.
Before his arrest, Mhatre expressed regret over the confrontation but denied assaulting the woman doctor.
He maintained that CCTV footage could give a misleading impression because of the camera angle and claimed he had only tapped the doctor's hand after she continued speaking on the phone instead of responding to the family's concerns.
Mhatre also said he considers the doctor "like a daughter" and insisted he has never assaulted a woman. He attributed the confrontation to alleged shortcomings in the hospital's functioning and said others present at the scene could explain the sequence of events.
Political reactions
The incident has triggered sharp political reactions in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray questioned whether the state government would take action against a ruling alliance corporator, while Shiv Sena MP and doctor Shrikant Shinde condemned the attack, saying violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable.
Shinde said no one would be shielded if found guilty and asserted that strict legal as well as party disciplinary action would follow against those responsible.
With agency inputs