Kalyan: Shiv Sena’s Kalyan-Dombivli corporator Ramesh Mhatre and three of his alleged associates were arrested on Wednesday for the attack on a hospital’s doctors and staffers over purported delay in a patient’s treatment two days prior, even as his party distanced itself from the assault.Within four hours of his arrest, though, Mhatre (72), who faces 12 other criminal cases, was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after he complained of severe chest pain. Police said he has high blood pressure, prostate-related ailments and renal issues and that he was under treatment and observation at the hospital.The arrest, along with assurances from civic chief Abhinav Goel on adequate security measures at civic hospitals, prompted doctors and other healthcare workers in the twin cities to call off their strike. Routine outpatient and non-emergency services were halted on Tuesday in protest against the attack and private doctors had joined the stir in solidarity on Wednesday.Prior to his arrest from his residence in Kopar, Dombivli, Mhatre called a press conference to deny that he had hit a woman doctor. He blamed “the camera angle” and claimed he had merely tried to snatch her phone as she continued speaking on it while he was seeking information about the patient’s condition. “She is like my daughter. It is not part of Shiv Sena’s values to raise a hand against a woman,” he said.DCP (Kalyan zone) Atul Zende said his alleged associates—Akshay Karande, Ramesh Pawar and Pramod Nikam—were produced before a Kalyan court and remanded into two days of police custody. “Further investigation is underway,” he said.The medical fraternity’s two-day strike—private doctors joined on a call by Indian Medical Association (IMA)—affected hundreds of patients who visited hospitals for routine consultations and follow-up treatments. While many returned without receiving care, at several hospitals, doctors and staffers were seen guiding patients towards emergency departments.Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors said it will observe a token black ribbon protest on Thursday across all govt medical colleges and hospitals in Maharashtra. “The protest isn’t only against this incident but also against the increasing incidence of violence against healthcare workers across the state and to reiterate our demand for a safe working environment for all doctors and healthcare professionals,’’ it said in a release.Earlier in the day, an IMA delegation met DGP Sadanand Date over the attack. “He assured us that instructions will be issued to all police stations across Maharashtra to implement Maharashtra Medical Act whenever there is violence against a healthcare establishment,’’ said Dr Santosh Kadam of IMA.The attack drew strong condemnation not just from opposition parties but also the Sena brass. Shrikant Shinde, the party’s Kalyan MP and deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s son, asserted that no one who takes the law into their own hands would be spared. Calling the attack “highly condemnable”, Shinde, who too is a doctor, said treating patients was a service to humanity and healthcare workers deserved protection and respect. He made it clear that Shiv Sena would not shield anyone involved in the attack. “The party’s position is clear. Strict legal action will be taken, and the party will not support any individual found guilty.”NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray visited the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli, whose staffers were attacked, offered their support and demanded Mhatre’s resignation. “…since no beds were available, the doctors gave an honest suggestion to immediately transfer the woman to another well-equipped hospital for the safety of the baby—is this the doctor’s fault? The relatives of the patient may get angry, but it is absolutely not right to assault the doctor who gave an honest suggestion,” Pawar said in a post on X.State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said Mhatre was drunk on power. “Forget ministers or MLAs… now even municipal corporators have no fear of the law left. Once they get the patronage of power, the law goes in their pocket and thuggery takes to the streets,” he posted on X.(With inputs from Chaitanya Marpakwar)
