Resident doctors at the JJ Hospital in Byculla went on a strike after two of them were allegedly assaulted by relatives of a patient who died during treatment on Saturday morning.
The incident sparked outrage among all resident doctors, who refused to budge till their demands were met. The demands include installation of an alarm system at the hospital, the proposal for which has been pending for the last two years.
According to the JJ Marg police, Zahida Sheikh (45), a resident of Samrat Nagar in Mumbra, was admitted to the hospital on May 17 for a gall bladder condition, and died early on Saturday.
The police said that Dr. Atish Parikh and Dr. Shefali Dharmadhikari, who were on duty at the time, informed four of her family members about the development. The relatives started blaming the doctors for the death and assaulted them. “Dr Parikh tried to escape, but they chased and cornered him, after which they assaulted him again. They also broke chairs, overturned tables and damaged other equipment in the ward,” an officer with the JJ Marg police said.
Other staff on duty called the police, and several teams reached the hospital to control the situation. All the four accused were subdued and taken to the police station for inquiries.
After recording statements of Dr. Parikh and eye witnesses, the police arrested Altaf Sheikh (32), Soni Sheikh (23), Rihan Sheikh (22) and Samira Sheikh (20), charging them with rioting, assault and damage to property under the Indian Penal Code and under sections of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act. They were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, officers said.
Negotiations were under way between the doctors and DMER officials till the time of going to press.
