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A court in Kalyan on Friday remanded Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre to police custody till July 13 in connection with the alleged assault on doctors and nurses at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli.

 

Mhatre was produced before the Kalyan Sessions Court after being discharged from Thane Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him medically stable and fit for discharge.

 

During the hearing, the police sought five days of custody for further investigation. However, the court granted custody until July 13.

 

Defence counsel M.K. Qazi alleged that the case had been given a political colour and opposed the police's plea for extended custody. The defence also informed the court that Mhatre, 73, is living with a single kidney and requires medical attention every six hours.

 

Taking note of the submission, the court directed the police to ensure appropriate medical treatment is provided to Mhatre whenever required during his custody.

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Mhatre was arrested on Wednesday under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with a case registered at Vishnunagar Police Station. Police said four people have been arrested so far in the case.

 

On Thursday, the Kalyan court had rejected Mhatre's plea seeking permission to appear through video conferencing, ruling that his physical presence before the court was necessary for the proceedings.

 

The case relates to the alleged assault on doctors and nurses at Shastri Nagar Hospital on July 6, an incident that triggered widespread protests and condemnation from the medical fraternity.

 

Earlier, Mhatre denied allegations that he assaulted women doctors or nurses. He claimed the CCTV footage may have created a misleading impression because of the camera angle and said he had only tapped a doctor's hand while trying to draw attention to the grievances of patients.

 

Expressing regret over the incident, the corporator maintained that he had never assaulted any woman and attributed the confrontation to shortcomings in the hospital's functioning.