Shinde has admonished Sena corporator held for assaulting woman doctor: Minister Samant

Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has reprimanded Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman doctor and medical staff at a hospital in Thane district, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Thursday. The incident at the Shastri Nagar Hospital run by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation sparked massive outrage after a viral video showed Mhatre slapping and punching a doctor and banging a register on his head. He is also seen hitting a female doctor on her hand. “Our party’s line is very clear. It is inappropriate to hit a woman doctor. Many in the Shiv Sena, as well as the state health minister, have stressed that such an assault was wrong,” said Samant, who belongs to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The deputy CM has appropriately reprimanded the Sena corporator, he said. “There was no political intervention, which means we are not endorsing his action,” Samant told reporters in the premises of Vidhan Bhavan. Talking to reporters separately in the complex, where the legislature is having its monsoon session, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray demanded stringent action against Mhatre, saying he should be stripped of all party and public posts, including his corporator's position. "When we were in power, we removed (united Shiv Sena MLA) Sanjay Rathod from the post of state minister (in 2021 following a controversy over a Pune woman's suicide). Mhatre's video (of assault) has also surfaced. He has used extremely foul language and should face strict action," Thackeray insisted. Replying to a question on the action expected from Deputy CM Shinde, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said Mhatre was shifted to a hospital immediately after his arrest, raising questions over the functioning of the Home Department. "He (Shinde) himself is like that, but there should be strict action against Mhatre. He was moved to a hospital immediately after his arrest. It reflects poorly on the Home Department," Thackeray said, adding the Shiv Sena corporator should be paraded in public. On Monday evening at the Shastri Nagar Hospital, doctors Srishti Bawiskar and Vaibhav Salunkhe had advised the relatives of a newborn to shift the baby to another facility due to the lack of space in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Angered by this, the relatives contacted the corporator, who arrived with his aides and allegedly assaulted the doctors. Mhatre had earlier denied striking the woman doctor, claiming the CCTV footage was misleading. However, the Opposition as well as leaders from his own party, including Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde, had condemned the alleged assault on the woman doctor. Thane MP Naresh Mhaske said on Wednesday that the Shiv Sena leadership has served a show-cause notice to the accused corporator. Besides Mhatre, three of his associates have also been arrested in connection with the alleged assault. PTI ND NR RSY