KALYAN: Senior Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, 72, was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after his health reportedly deteriorated within four hours of his arrest in the doctor assault case on Tuesday.According to police, Mhatre complained of severe chest pain and was found to be suffering from high blood pressure, prostate-related ailments and kidney-related issues. He was shifted to the hospital for treatment and observation.A three-time corporator from Dombivli, Mhatre was arrested by the Vishnu Nagar police along with four others in connection with the alleged assault on doctors and medical staff at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital. The action followed an FIR lodged by doctor Vaibhav Salunkhe.The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010, for allegedly assaulting the doctor during a dispute at the hospital.Police had earlier arrested three of his alleged associates — Akshay Karande, Ramesh Pawar and Pramod Nikam — for their role in the attack on doctors and hospital staff.The assault had sparked widespread outrage across the medical fraternity, prompting the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to suspend routine outpatient services across KDMC-run hospitals and several private hospitals in Kalyan-Dombivli, while emergency services continued. Doctors had demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved and strict implementation of the Maharashtra Medicare Act.The incident also triggered political reactions. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray visited Shastri Nagar Hospital and demanded Mhatre’s immediate arrest. Kalyan MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde also condemned the assault, saying no one who takes the law into their own hands would be spared.Meanwhile, despite the arrest of the main accused, the family of one of the young doctors allegedly assaulted during the attack says the incident has left her traumatised and fearful about returning to work.Dr. Shrushti Baviskar, who joined the KDMC-run hospital barely a month ago in her first posting, is now reconsidering whether to continue working there, according to her family.Her father, Mahendra Baviskar, said the attack on doctors and nurses had deeply shaken the family.“The attack showed complete disregard for the law. Such incidents should never happen to healthcare workers who are only performing their duty,” he said.Speaking to TOI, her mother, Sangeeta Baviskar, said her daughter continues to struggle with the psychological impact of the assault.“She is frightened after the attack. She keeps wondering whether she should continue working at this hospital because those who attacked her may target her again in the future. This is her first job as a doctor, and she had joined KDMC only a month ago,” she said.The attack on medical staff had triggered protests by doctors across Kalyan-Dombivli, with routine OPD services suspended as a mark of protest while emergency services remained operational. The medical fraternity has maintained that along with arrests, stronger measures are needed to ensure the safety and security of healthcare workers in government hospitals.
