Thane Doctor Assault: 2 doctors resign after alleged attack by Shiv Sena corporator

2 doctors who were allegedly assaulted by Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and his aides at a civic-run hospital in Maharashtra's Thane district have resigned from their posts, citing the trauma caused by the incident.

The doctors—medical officer Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe and resident medical officer Dr Srishti Baviskar—were serving at the Shastri Nagar Hospital in Kalyan through an outsourced agency. According to officials, both have submitted their resignations to the agency, though the formal paperwork is yet to reach the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).

The incident took place on Monday after the doctors advised the family of a newborn to shift the infant to another hospital due to the unavailability of beds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The family allegedly contacted corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital with his aides and allegedly assaulted the doctors.

A video of the incident, widely circulated on social media, purportedly shows Mhatre slapping and punching Dr Salunkhe, striking him with a register and hitting Dr Baviskar on her hand. The incident triggered widespread outrage among the medical fraternity.

Mhatre was arrested last night, while three of his aides were taken into custody earlier in the week. Police are investigating the case.

KDMC Medical Health Officer Dr Deepa Shukla confirmed that the doctors had resigned through the outsourcing agency but said the civic body had not yet received their official resignation documents.

Colleagues of the two doctors said they were deeply traumatised by the assault. Family members of Dr Baviskar also expressed concern over the safety of healthcare professionals, calling for stronger security measures at government hospitals.

The incident has renewed demands from doctors' associations for better protection of medical personnel while on duty.