Assault on doctor triggers protests across Maharashtra

3 min readMumbaiJul 9, 2026 06:27 AM IST

The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (Central MARD) welcomed Mhatre’s arrest and said resident doctors in all government medical colleges and hospitals would wear black ribbons on Thursday while continuing medical services.

The alleged assault on doctors and nurses at a civic hospital in Dombivli snowballed into a statewide confrontation between the medical fraternity and the Maharashtra government, even as the main accused — Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre — surrendered before the Thane police following arrest of three of his associates Wednesday.

Later in the evening Mhatre complained of blood pressure and other health ailments following which he was admitted in Thane civil hospital.

Earlier, resident doctors and nurses announced protests across the state, while healthcare organisations  warned of an indefinite stir if strict action is not taken against those responsible.

The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (Central MARD) welcomed Mhatre’s arrest and said resident doctors in all government medical colleges and hospitals would wear black ribbons on Thursday while continuing medical services. It stressed the agitation is aimed at seeking long-term measures to curb rising incidents of violence against healthcare workers across state.

The Maharashtra State Nurses Association said nurses across the state would begin a three-day black-ribbon protest from July 10 and warned that it would intensify the agitation after July 13 if no concrete action was taken. The Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctors’ Association and the BMC MARD also condemned the incident, sought Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s intervention and demanded a zero-tolerance policy against violence in hospitals.

In separate memoranda to the chief minister, the doctors’ and nurses’ organisations described the alleged assault as an attack on the dignity of healthcare workers and the functioning of public hospitals. They demanded immediate arrests, strict action under the Maharashtra Medicare Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, stronger hospital security, and protection for doctors and nurses performing their duties.

Dr Manisha Shinde, president of Nurses Association, said:  “People have no fear of law and order and think they can get away easily after assaulting doctors, nurses or any other medical staff deployed to treat them. There has to be strict action  so that no one dares to repeat such acts… We want the CM to take this matter very seriously. Doctors and nurses are already treating an overwhelming number of patients despite being under-staffed and overworked.”