Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 6: In yet another instance of the Shiv Sena workers attacking doctors and hospital staff, the police in Maharashtra have booked 17 Shiv Sena workers after doctors and hospital staff were allegedly assaulted and threatened by ruling Shiv Sena office-bearers in Palghar over the treatment cost of some “Govindas,” the Krishna devotees who take part in the ‘Dahi Handi’ tradition on the occasion of Janmashtami.
One of the Shiv Sena workers also allegedly slapped a receptionist and threatened a woman employee when they tried to intervene, the CCTV visuals showed. The incident occurred past midnight on Sunday. A commotion erupted in the corridors of Relief Hospital over the discharge of a ‘Govinda’.
The dispute was over the treatment costs of the Govindas injured during a ‘Dahi Handi’ event. The members of the ‘Govinda’ troupe were angered after they were handed a bill of Rs 19,866 during their discharge. A heated argument followed, and the Sena workers allegedly verbally abused, threatened, and assaulted the hospital staff present at that moment.
According to the complaint lodged by a hospital employee, Shiv Sena district chief Kundan Sankhe, city chief Rahul Gharat, and others had entered the emergency department and argued with the doctors. A receptionist who tried to intervene was seen being slapped on CCTV visuals.
Some of them even barged into the intensive care unit (ICU), supposed to be a strictly restricted area to avoid contamination. The hospital staff alleged that the mob threatened a nurse in the ICU, removed the IV drip of an injured ‘Govinda’, and took him away from the hospital.
Palghar police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Medical Services Protection Act. At least 17 individuals have been named in the case, including Sankhe, Gharat, and Rohit Gavit, son of local MLA Rajendra Gavit.
According to the police, the man was taken to the hospital on Saturday night after sustaining injuries while participating in Dahi Handi held to mark Janmashtami. The dispute allegedly began around 1.30 am on Sunday, when the hospital authorities asked the patient’s relatives to pay a bill of Rs 19,866 at the time of discharge. They had already paid Rs 10,000 but allegedly refused to pay the remaining amount.
According to the police, after the hospital staff handed over the bill, some Sena workers allegedly verbally abused them, following which the Sena’s Palghar city chief, Rahul Gharat, allegedly slapped a male staff member at the reception. A woman staff member present at the reception immediately intervened, a police officer said.
“Based on a complaint lodged by the hospital staff, a case has been registered against 17 people, including Shiv Sena district chief Kundan Shankhe and Palghar city chief Rahul Gharat, under sections pertaining to assault and the relevant section of the Medical Services Protection Act as the incident occurred inside the hospital premises. There is no damage or loss to property,” said Senior Inspector Kishor Manbhav.
However, the hospital’s director, Dr Vishal Kodgirkar, denied the confrontation was over treatment charges. He said 15-20 people entered the ICU, slapped the receptionist, and took away five injured Govindas, or Dahi Handi participants. “There is no dispute about the charges. We had already given a Rs 6,000-7,000 discount,” he said.
Dr Kodgirkar said the five Govindas—aged between 18 and 25—arrived at the hospital around 10 pm on Saturday after falling from the second or third tier of a human pyramid.
One of them, who had suffered a head injury, was admitted to the ICU for observation following a CT scan. Three others were treated as outpatients after X-rays showed minor injuries, while the fifth patient had multiple fractures of the dorsal spine and was sent for an MRI. He had not yet been admitted as the hospital was awaiting the MRI report, Dr Kodgirkar said.
According to the doctor, Sena workers arrived at the hospital around 1.20 am and began questioning doctors over the need for a CT scan and the admission of the head-injury patient.
“They started arguing with the doctor, asking why there was a need for a CT scan and why the patient had been admitted. To protect a woman medical officer on duty, a receptionist intervened, and one of the men slapped him. The group then entered the ICU, where several critically ill patients were being treated, including one on a ventilator. They forcibly took away the head-injury patient and the patient who was undergoing an MRI. The three patients who had been treated as outpatients were also taken away,” Dr Kodgirkar said.
The group’s presence inside the ICU also affected another critically ill patient, Dr Kodgirkar alleged. “By seeing this mob in the ICU, he got agitated, and his BP elevated to 180,” he said.
“Who are they to decide whom to admit and why a CT scan is needed? Even if they have questions, they can talk to us,” he said.
Dr Kodgirkar said there was only one security guard at the hospital at the time.
Another police officer said the Shiv Sena district chief, along with other party workers, entered the emergency ward and allegedly argued with doctors and hospital staff over the treatment expenses.
Further investigation is underway, with the police scanning CCTV footage and checking other evidence. The CCTV footage from the hospital shows one of the accused slapping a receptionist who had intervened during the argument. As the charges in the case are bailable, no arrests have been made so far. The police said they will serve notices to the accused and are collecting evidence as part of the investigation.
Dr Kodgirkar alleged that one of the men involved had previously visited the hospital several times, including around four months ago, when he confronted the hospital over the treatment of a critically injured young woman. The woman, according to Kodgirkar, had arrived around 5 am after being referred from a government hospital and after allegedly being denied admission at three to four other hospitals.
She was admitted to the ICU and treated for around 60-67 days before being discharged after surviving her critical condition. Dr Kodgirkar alleged that the same group had subsequently entered the ICU on that occasion as well and questioned why she was being treated, claiming that she had died.
Congress leader Atul Londhe Patil described the Sunday’s incident as “shameful.” “This is hooliganism by Mahayuti politicians. They don’t believe in law. In Palghar, they have beaten a receptionist. I am told even doctors were assaulted. It is unacceptable. When will there be accountability?” he asked.
The incident has also sparked outrage within the medical community in Palghar. The medical fraternity has time and again raised the issue of doctors’ security after repeated incidents of assault over the years.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court denied bail to a Shiv Sena corporator who was arrested in July for hitting a woman doctor at a civic hospital in Thane. Those who assault doctors are not entitled to bail, the court observed, pointing out that such mob attacks cause mental trauma.