Some 25-30 workers from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena barged into the ICU unit of a hospital in Palghar, abused a doctor and threatened the staff over medical bills of five injured ‘govindas’ amid Dahi Handi celebrations and forcibly took away one of them who was admitted to the ICU on Saturday night, the billing assistant, who was also attacked, told NDTV.
The incident took place at Relief Hospital in the early hours Saturday after ‘govindas’ injured at a Dahi Handi event outside the Shiv Sena central office in Palghar were brought for treatment.
The patient with the head injury had lost consciousness, so we had to shift him to the ICU and recommended a CT scan,” Vivek Babulinga, the hospital billing assistant who was slapped by the workers, said. Vivek Babulinga claims he was slapped by Shiv Sena workers The Shiv sena workers, including the party’s Palghar district and city unit chiefs, wanted the patients to be released at the earliest. Krishna devotees who take part in the ‘Dahi Handi’ tradition on the occasion of Janmashtami are known as ‘Govindas’. The incident took place at Relief Hospital in the early hours Saturday after ‘govindas’ injured at a Dahi Handi event outside the Shiv Sena central office in Palghar were brought for treatment. “Five ‘govinda’ patients were brought to our hospital; two had chest injuries, while the others sustained injuries to the spine, head, and shoulder, respectively. “Some Shiv Sena office-bearers arrived and demanded an immediate discharge. However, in accordance with hospital protocol, the discharge summaries and billing for the patients were still pending, so we asked for some time. “While the bill was being processed, Shiva Sena workers barged straight in from the casualty area; they approached our doctor and nurse, shouting and threatening them, asking why the patient had been admitted. “As the situation escalated, I stepped in to ensure no harm came to the doctor. When I intervened, they immediately slapped and assaulted me. These people misuse power”. A probe is on under sub inspector Vinayak Kesarkar, though no one has been arrested in the case as yet. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) condemned the Shiv Sena office-bearers, calling it an attack on the medical system and the rule of law. “What happened in Palghar is a repetition of the same pattern.
Because you are a woman; had you not been a woman, we would have destroyed you,'” Babulinga said, they told the female doctor, ‘You have been spared only. By midnight, the total medical bill for the five patients amounted to Rs 19,866, of which Rs 10,000 was paid in cash by an associate. They did not pay the full bill; instead, they paid only Rs 10,000 and insisted that the costs for all five patients be adjusted against that amount,” Babulinga said. After that, they started shouting, ‘Let’s get the patient out of the ICU,’ and a mob of 25-30 people stormed the ICU; they intimidated and threatened our nursing staff and forcibly took the patient away,” he said. A case was registered on Sunday morning against Kundan Balkrishna Sankhe (Shiv Sena district chief) Rahul Ramdas Gharat (Shiv Sena city chief) Rohit Gavit (son of MLA Rajendra Gavit) Manish alias Vicky Sankhe, Sairaj Patil, Rahul Sankhe, Manoj Gharat, Neelam Sankhe, Shubham Bandivdekar, Rishabh Vare as well as 7-8 unidentified persons.
The billing assistant said that the workers abused the doctors and hurled profanities directly at the female doctor. Babulinga said he arrived at a police station at three o’clock in the night and filed a complaint. Asked what his demand was, Babulinga said:”The legal procedure should be followed. They have been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act for assault, criminal intimidation, trespass, unlawful assembly and other offences, the Palghar police said. “The details indicate this was not a spontaneous outburst but organised hooliganism born out of arrogance of power,” NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said in a statement. He also cited an earlier incident at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli, where a corporator from the ruling Shiv Sena, Ramesh Mhatre, allegedly beat up doctors and nurses, and said the pattern was concerning. This is no coincidence; it is the inevitable consequence of the political patronage enjoyed by ruling party workers,” he said. (With inputs from Manoj Satvi)
