Kalyan: A Kalyan court on Thursday rejected the police’s plea to produce arrested Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre through video conferencing in the case of alleged assault of a doctor and nursing staff at Dombivli’s Shastri Nagar Hospital. The court directed the police to produce the 72-year-old corporator, who had been admitted to hospital on Wednesday, in person.Mhatre, who was arrested following an FIR lodged by Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe of the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital, was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after reportedly complaining of chest pain and a spike in blood pressure within hours of his arrest for attacking doctors and hospital staffers over purported delay in a patient’s treatment. Seeking permission for virtual production, police informed judicial magistrate first class K S Katkade that Mhatre was suffering from high blood pressure, kidney-related ailments and had vomited twice since morning, making it difficult for them to bring him to court.During the hearing, Mhatre’s counsel, A Y Patki, submitted that his client’s condition was not stable. As the three other accused arrested in the case have already been remanded to police custody till Friday, the defence sought only one day’s police custody for Mhatre, citing his medical condition.After hearing both sides, the court initially reserved its order but later rejected the police application for video conferencing and directed that Mhatre be produced physically. Police sources said they would comply with the order once doctors at Thane Civil Hospital certify that the corporator is medically fit to be shifted.Meanwhile, doctors and nurses at KDMC-run hospitals, who had suspended all non-emergency services for two days in protest against the alleged assault, resumed duties on Thursday morning after Mhatre’s arrest on Wednesday and assurances from the civic administration on enhanced security. Private practitioners had resumed services on Wednesday evening.KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goyal told TOI that additional civic security guards have been deployed at the Shastri Nagar Hospital, and police have been requested to provide round-the-clock security. “We have strengthened security arrangements to ensure such incidents do not recur. Following our request, police have deployed personnel at the hospital 24×7,” Goyal said.At the Thane Civil Hospital, where Mhatre is in the 10-bed prisoners’ ward, doctors said his condition had shown only marginal improvement nearly 24 hours after admission. “A decision on whether to discharge him or continue treatment will be taken after the physician’s morning round on Friday. He has shown some improvement but remains under observation,” said a senior doctor, requesting anonymity.In a symbolic show of solidarity with their colleagues, the nurses, junior doctors and other staff at Thane Civil Hospital staged a 15-minute protest within the hospital premises condemning the assault on doctors and nurses at the Dombivli civic hospital. They later resumed work to ensure patient care was not affected. Civil surgeon Dr Kailash Pawar could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.Meanwhile, reports circulating on social media claiming that Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe and Dr Shrushti Baviskar, who were attacked, had resigned following the incident were denied by the KDMC. Health officer Dr Deepa Shukla told TOI that both doctors were appointed through a private agency and neither the agency nor the civic body had received any resignation from them.However, sources in the health department said the two doctors and two nurses who were allegedly assaulted are yet to return to duty and remain traumatised by the incident. Earlier, the parents of Dr Shrushti Baviskar had told TOI that their daughter was shaken and was contemplating whether to return to work at Shastri Nagar Hospital or quit the job altogether due to fears about her safety and the possibility of another attack.
