Dombivli (Maharashtra) [India], July 10 : A Kalyan court on Friday sent Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Mhatre to police custody till July 13 in connection with the case involving the assault on doctors and nurses at Dombivli's Shastri Nagar Hospital.
He was produced before the Kalyan Sessions Court earlier today after being discharged from Thane Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him medically stable and fit for discharge.
Ramesh Mhatre's lawyer, MK Qazi, said, "A political colour has been given to this matter. The police had sought five days' police custody, but we objected to it. The court has granted police custody till 13th July. We had filed an application stating that Ramesh Mhatre is a 73-year-old man surviving on one Kidney, so he needs to be given medical treatment every 6 hours. The court has considered this application and directed the police to make medical treatment available to him if he experiences illness."
Mhatre was arrested on Wednesday under Sections 132 and 121(1) in connection with a case registered at Vishnunagar Police Station in Dombivli. Police said four accused have been arrested in the case so far.
On Thursday, a Kalyan court rejected Mhatre's plea seeking to be produced before the court through video conferencing. The court held that his appearance through video conferencing would not suffice, effectively requiring his physical production before the court for further proceedings.
The case pertains to the July 6 alleged assault on doctors and nurses at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli, which triggered widespread outrage among the medical fraternity.
Earlier, Mhatre had refuted all the claims of the alleged assault on women doctors and nurses, stating that the CCTV footage "may look that way" due to the angle. Mhatre asserted that he did not raise a hand on any medical staff during the visit.
"I express regret over the incident of assault that took place. I state with full confidence that I did not raise my hand against the female doctor. What appears in the CCTV footage might look that way due to the camera angle. I address her informally (using "tu") because she is like a daughter to me. I am not even aware of whether she is married or not. While we were conversing, she kept talking on the phone and was not listening to our grievance; that is why I tapped her on the hand. We have been guided by Balasaheb's teachings. We have never raised a hand against women, nor will we ever do so in the future. The incident occurred due to systemic shortcomings within the hospital. We will strive to address those deficiencies. The individuals who prompted my visit there will provide further details regarding the entire incident. The people who had called me did not answer my calls. I arrived at the scene considering the gravity of the situation. They are the ones who will provide the full details," he said.