Shiv Sena Corporator Assaults Woman Doctor, Staff At Thane Hospital, Sparks Protest (WATCH)

The protest erupted after a violent confrontation at Shastrinagar Hospital in Dombivli on Monday night, prompting widespread outrage among the medical fraternity.

Routine outpatient services across all major civic-run hospitals and healthcare centres in Kalyan-Dombivli came to a standstill on Tuesday after doctors, nurses and paramedical staff launched a strike to protest the alleged assault on hospital employees by Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, his supporters and relatives of a pregnant patient over a purported delay in treatment. Emergency medical services, however, continued without disruption.

The protest erupted after a violent confrontation at Shastrinagar Hospital in Dombivli on Monday night, prompting widespread outrage among the medical fraternity. Based on a complaint filed by a doctor, the Vishnu Nagar Police registered an FIR against four men, including Mhatre, and a woman under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010.

WHEN A RULING PARTY BECOMES DRUNK ON THE INTOXICANT OF POWER AND ENTITLEMENT.
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) corporator Ramesh Mhatre allegedly assaulted a female doctor, a gynecologist, and multiple nursing staff members at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)-run… pic.twitter.com/LeCX0zETle

— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) July 7, 2026

KDMC doctors and nurses go on strike

Doctors and healthcare workers have vowed to continue their agitation until all the accused, including the corporator, are arrested. The Indian Medical Association's Kalyan and Dombivli branches also issued a stern warning, stating that if no arrests are made by Wednesday, private doctors affiliated with the association will suspend their services in solidarity.

The FIR against Mhatre was lodged after protesters alleged that authorities initially attempted to register a case only against the patient's relatives despite CCTV footage purportedly showing the corporator assaulting hospital staff.

The incident unfolded after 33-year-old Priyanka Ugmale was admitted to Shastrinagar Hospital late Monday in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Doctors reportedly discovered that the umbilical cord had wrapped twice around the foetus, making an immediate Caesarean section necessary.

However, hospital sources said the medical team anticipated that the newborn would require admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Since the hospital's NICU was already full, doctors began contacting nearby hospitals to secure a vacant NICU bed before proceeding with the surgery.

During this process, the patient's relatives allegedly contacted Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital and confronted the doctors over the purported delay in treatment. The heated exchange soon turned violent. CCTV footage purportedly shows Mhatre assaulting a gynaecologist, after which his supporters allegedly attacked several other doctors and hospital staff members.

Sources claimed Mhatre was angered by the delay and alleged that doctors failed to answer his phone calls. Medical professionals, however, maintained that they were occupied with arranging a NICU bed, a crucial requirement before carrying out the life-saving procedure.

Following the assault, Priyanka Ugmale was shifted to another civic hospital, where doctors successfully performed the C-section and admitted the newborn to its NICU.

After meeting Indian Medical Association Kalyan president Dr Rajesh Raghav Raju, Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) Commissioner Abhinav Goel directed the assaulted doctors and staff to file a formal police complaint and assured them that strict legal action would be taken against everyone responsible.

Goel also said the civic administration would bolster security at all KDMC hospitals and appealed to the protesting doctors and healthcare workers to resume medical services.