- Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre assaulted hospital staff in a hospital.
- Mhatre denied attacking the woman doctor despite clear video evidence showing otherwise.
- The dispute began over unavailability of NICU beds for a newborn at the hospital.
The video is clear. Shiv Sena corporator from Kalyan-Dombivli, Ramesh Mhatre, is seen hitting a woman doctor. He and his supporters are then seen beating up other staff and nurses at a hospital near Mumbai.
Later visuals show terrified hospital staff in tears. The video triggered massive outrage. The incident took place on July 6.
But the corporator is defiant. He has no regrets.
In a 26-minute interview with NDTV's Shiv Aroor on Wednesday morning, Mhatre refused to apologise. Instead, he denied what was clearly visible in the video.
"I did not attack the woman doctor at the hospital," the corporator insisted, even as the video showed otherwise. When confronted with the footage, he claimed he only hit the doctor's hand to get her off the phone as "she was not listening to our complaint."
"I slapped her phone as she was not listening to us. I only tried to get her off the phone," Mhatre said, adding that Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray taught them to fight injustice.
Throughout the interview, Mhatre kept justifying his actions and insisted the doctors were at fault. Showing no remorse, he even claimed his actions "saved the life of a woman and her child."
According to a hospital official, the assault was triggered by a dispute over the unavailability of NICU beds. The family of a pregnant woman was told by doctors that the newborn may need NICU care, but since all beds in the hospital were occupied, they were asked to consider shifting to another hospital. The matter escalated from there.
In the video, a woman doctor is seen trying to use her mobile phone. She steps back behind a desk to avoid the men. Suddenly, the corporator hits her from behind with such force that the phone falls from her hand.
He then turns to assault other staff.
Repeatedly confronted with the video, Mhatre continued to claim he did nothing wrong and said, "I will not apologise".
Staying defiant, he called the doctor "arrogant" and even labelled them "goons."
He claimed that if doctors had responded to his calls, he would not have gone to the hospital and "nothing would have happened."
"Our action saved the life of a woman and her child. We don't care about anything else," he said.
Towards the end, he added that if the doctors apologise for their behaviour, he will also express regret.
Shiv Sena Promises Action
Taking note of the incident, Shiv Sena MP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son, Shrikant Shinde, condemned the assault of the doctors and the nursing staff.
"The assault on doctors and medical staff at Shastri Nagar Hospital of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) is highly condemnable. As a doctor myself, I know that patient service is not merely a job but a service to humanity. In extremely adverse and stressful conditions, doctors, nurses, and other health workers labor day and night for the public's service," Shinde posted on X.
कल्याण-डोंबिवली महानगरपालिकेच्या (KDMC) शास्त्री नगर रुग्णालयातील डॉक्टर आणि वैद्यकीय कर्मचाऱ्यांना झालेली मारहाण अत्यंत निषेधार्ह आहे. एक डॉक्टर म्हणून मला माहीत आहे की, रुग्णसेवा ही केवळ एक नोकरी नसून ती मानवतेची सेवा आहे. अत्यंत प्रतिकूल आणि तणावपूर्ण परिस्थितीत डॉक्टर,…
— Dr Shrikant Lata Eknath Shinde (@DrSEShinde) July 8, 2026
He also promised strict action on the guilty. "A case has been registered in connection with this incident. No one who takes the law into their own hands will be spared, and strict action will be taken against the guilty as per the law. The party's stance on this matter is also clear. The party will not support any individual involved in this attack. Strict disciplinary action will also be taken within the party against those found guilty."
