Pune, Apr 16 (PTI) A doctor linked to the controversy over the death of a pregnant woman who had been allegedly denied admission at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital (DMH) here has been provided police protection after he received threats, an official said on Wednesday.

Dr Sushrut Ghaisas, a consulting gynecologist, had resigned last week amid the outrage over the death of Tanisha Bhise, citing intense public anger, social media backlash and threat calls.

Bhise, wife of the personal secretary of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, was allegedly refused admission at DMH over non-payment of a Rs 10 lakh deposit. She later died at another hospital after delivering twin daughters.

“Dr Ghaisas had applied for protection, citing threats to his life. Based on his request, an armed guard has been deployed,” a senior police official said.

The deceased woman’s family had accused Dr Ghaisas of demanding the Rs 10 lakh deposit prior to admission. Following the incident, members of the BJP’s women’s wing allegedly vandalised the clinic run by Dr Ghaisas’s mother in Kothrud.

A government-appointed committee, led by the joint director of the state health department, held the hospital prima facie guilty of violating norms. Hospitals are obligated to provide emergency treatment regardless of a patient’s financial condition, it noted. PTI SPK KRK