Violence at Khopoli Hospital after newborn's death, grandfather allegedly assaults doctor

Navi Mumbai: A seven-day-old girl’s death while undergoing treatment for jaundice at a private hospital in Khopoli, Raigad district, triggered violence on Tuesday, with the infant’s grandfather allegedly assaulting a doctor while a group accompanying him vandalised the hospital reception.

The Khopoli police have registered an FIR against the grandfather and eight to 10 unidentified persons for allegedly assaulting the doctor and damaging hospital property. An accidental death report (ADR) has also been registered in connection with the newborn's death, and police are awaiting the postmortem report from a panel of doctors at JJ Hospital in Byculla, reports the Daily.  

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According to senior inspector Sachin Hire, the 59-year-old man, a resident of Ajivali village in Khalapur taluka, had brought his daughter and her seven-day-old daughter to Sumitraj Kejriwal Hospital in Shastrinagar, Khopoli. The infant had been diagnosed with jaundice.

Police said that the treating doctor gave the child a commonly used herbal medication for the liver. However, her condition continued to deteriorate, and she died around 12.30 pm. 

Following the infant's death, her grandfather allegedly blamed the doctor, claiming that his granddaughter had been incorrectly diagnosed and treated. In an outburst following the child’s death, he allegedly slapped the doctor. The people accompanying him then allegedly became violent and damaged furniture and other property at the hospital reception.

Khopoli senior inspector Sachin Hire said the ADR was registered following a complaint by Wande under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which lays down the procedure for investigating unnatural, sudden or suspicious deaths. 

“The postmortem report from JJ Hospital is awaited,” Hire said.

Acting on the doctor’s complaint, police registered an FIR against the grandfather and those who accompanied him under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, criminal intimidation and causing property damage, reports TOI.

Police have also invoked Section 4 of the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010. The provision deals with punishment for committing, attempting, abetting or inciting violence against healthcare personnel or causing damage to medical institutions.

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