A Resident Medical Officer (RMO) at KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli has resigned and left the city after he was assaulted assaulted by Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Ramesh Mhatre.
“I’ve left the city and will never go back,” doctor Vaibhav Salunkhe told NDTV, adding, he fears for his safety and has no plans to return.
He also claimed that he continues to feel threatened following the attack.
The incident took place on July 6 when Salunkhe, and a female doctor, Srishti Baviskar, advised the relatives of a newborn to shift the baby to another hospital because the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Shastri Nagar Hospital was full and the newborn required specialised care.
Hospital officials told NDTV that the patient’s relatives subsequently contacted corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital along with several associates.
Video footage of the incident, which has since gone viral on social media, showed the Sena corporator and his supporters initially arguing with the doctors and the staff. Mhatre then approached a woman doctor from behind as she held a mobile phone, and struck her with force – causing the phone to fall. He then turned to the other doctor and staff members and assaulted them.
“I have resigned because there is a lot of fear. Goons are watching us, and I have already left the city. They are very dangerous people. The other doctors may continue working there, but I cannot. I will not go back there again,” the doctor said. He said the assault had left him feeling unsafe and that he no longer wished to continue working at the hospital”, the doctor said.
The police registered a case against Mhatre and five of his associates in connection with the alleged assault. Mhatre was arrested on July 8 in connection with the case, however he showed no remorse. He was later admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after his health allegedly deteroriated following his arrest.
Speaking to NDTV before his arrest, Mhatre denied assaulting the woman doctor and claimed that he had only slapped her mobile phone as she “was not listening” to their complaint. He also maintained that his group’s actions had “saved the life of a woman and her child” and said that he would not apologise for the incident.
According to Mhatre, he would express regret if the doctors apologised for their behaviour, adding that Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray taught them to fight injustice.
In a 26-minute interview prior to his arrest, he maintained that he had not attacked the doctor, described her as arrogant, and said he would not apologise. He suggested that if the doctors apologised for their behaviour, he would express regret.
Following the incident, doctors and healthcare workers staged a protest demanding stronger security at hospitals, while the incident also triggered widespread outrage over the safety of medical professionals in public healthcare facilities, Times of India reported.
The police investigation into the assault is ongoing, and the case against Ramesh Mhatre and his associates remains under investigation.
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