Thane hospital ransacked, doctors attacked; three arrested

The violence, during which the vandals also damaged glass panes of the hospital's ICCU, went on till the wee hours of Friday.

Thane, May 27: Police have arrested three persons for allegedly assaulting doctors and ransacking a private hospital . Senior Inspector G D Pingle of Chitalsar-Manpada police station today said 11 people were involved in the incident, which took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, and a hunt was on for the other attackers.

The police gave the names of the arrested trio as Baba Waghmare, Sagar Gargade and Sairam Gargade. According to a police complaint lodged by the hospital, a group of local residents brought a patient to the medical facility and asked the doctors on duty to examine him. The doctors examined the patient and declared him brought dead.

The locals asked the physicians to once again check the patient, Vasu Dattapa Belgire. The doctors confirmed that Belgire had passed away, according to the complaint. Hearing this, the group members, numbering about a dozen, got angry and allegedly attacked two doctors and ransacked the hospital, it said.

The violence, during which the vandals also damaged glass panes of the hospital's ICCU, went on till the wee hours of Friday, police said. When policemen arrived at the spot, the violent group pelted stones at them, they said.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, they said. The Act seeks to protect doctors and their hospitals from attacks by patients' relatives, neighbours or friends.

PTI