Mumbai, July 8: A Shiv Sena corporator from Kalyan-Dombivli, Ramesh Mhatre, has come under scrutiny after CCTV footage purportedly showed him and several of his supporters assaulting doctors and hospital staff inside a municipal hospital in Maharashtra’s Kalyan.

The incident, which occurred on July 6, has sparked widespread condemnation from the medical fraternity and political leaders.

According to hospital officials, the incident stemmed from the treatment of a woman admitted to Shastrinagar Hospital for childbirth. Following a caesarean delivery, doctors found that the newborn required specialised medical care because the umbilical cord had been wrapped around the baby’s neck twice.

As the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was reportedly operating at full capacity, the attending doctors, Dr Srushti Baviskar and Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe, advised the family to shift the infant to another medical facility equipped to provide the required treatment.

Doctors alleged that the patient’s relatives subsequently contacted Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre. Since the doctors were attending to other patients at the time, they were unable to answer his calls. They claimed that Mhatre later arrived at the hospital along with several supporters.

Hospital CCTV footage, which has since surfaced on social media, appears to show an altercation during which Dr Salunkhe and Dr Baviskar were allegedly assaulted. The doctors alleged that they were verbally abused before being physically attacked without any attempt to understand the medical circumstances surrounding the case. Dr Salunkhe reportedly sustained injuries during the incident.

Two members of the nursing staff, Namita Ubale and Dravya Giri, who intervened in an attempt to protect the doctors, were also allegedly pushed and manhandled. The entire incident was captured by the hospital’s surveillance cameras.

The footage quickly went viral, triggering outrage among medical professionals and the public. Several healthcare organisations demanded strict action against those involved, stressing that violence against healthcare workers cannot be justified under any circumstances.

Despite the public backlash, Mhatre denied allegations that he had assaulted the woman doctor. Speaking to NDTV on Wednesday, he maintained that he had not physically attacked her, claiming instead that he merely slapped her mobile phone as she was not responding to their concerns.

He argued that he was attempting to draw the doctor’s attention after repeated phone calls went unanswered. Mhatre also defended his actions by claiming that he was acting in the interest of the patient and the newborn.

He further stated that he would not apologise for the incident and asserted that his actions had helped save the lives of the woman and her child. However, he added that he would express regret if the doctors apologised for their behaviour.

Taking note of the incident, Shiv Sena MP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, condemned the assault on the doctors and the nursing staff.

“The assault on doctors and medical staff at Shastri Nagar Hospital of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) is highly condemnable. As a doctor myself, I know that patient service is not merely a job but a service to humanity. In extremely adverse and stressful conditions, doctors, nurses, and other health workers labour day and night for the public’s service,” Shinde posted on X.

He also promised strict action on the guilty. “A case has been registered in connection with this incident. No one who takes the law into their own hands will be spared, and strict action will be taken against the guilty as per the law. The party’s stance on this matter is also clear. The party will not support any individual involved in this attack. Strict disciplinary action will also be taken within the party against those found guilty.”

Mumbai, July 8: Severe monsoon weather continues to batter Maharashtra, with relentless downpours over the past 24 hours triggering flash floods, river overflows, and structural collapses. According to the latest situation summary report released by the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Wednesday, the state has recorded 62 human casualties and 200 animal deaths since the start of the monsoon season on June 1.

The State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) reported extreme rainfall across several coastal and western districts in the last 24 hours. Thane and Palghar bore the brunt of the deluge, recording massive precipitation levels, including Thane: 196.9 mm, Palghar: 185.4 mm, Raigad: 134.1 mm, Mumbai Suburban: 125.0 mm and Pune: 69.4 mm. The cumulative rainfall since June 1 has put almost all districts in the “Large Excess” category, with Palghar receiving 457.3 per cent and Pune receiving 435.4 per cent of their normal rainfall figures for this period.

Out of the 62 human fatalities documented over the last five weeks, structural collapses and lightning strikes have emerged as the leading causes of death. Of these 62 fatalities, 25 deaths and 41 injuries were reported due to structural collapses across multiple districts, including Nashik, Thane, and Mumbai Suburban, and 23 deaths and 17 injuries happened due to thunder and lightning.

The lightning strikes also took a massive toll on livestock, accounting for 181 out of the 200 total animal deaths in the state.

About 6 deaths and 4 injuries were reported due to landslides and mudflows, primarily impacting mountainous regions in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Satara, and Pune.

Tree falls claimed 6 lives, while direct flooding caused 2 deaths. In recent daily incidents, a wall collapse in Mumbai Suburban left one person injured, while a tree fell in Ratnagiri, injuring two others.

Heavy regional precipitation has caused severe swelling across Maharashtra’s river networks. Several major rivers have officially breached their critical danger levels, prompting local evacuations and high-alert warnings for low-lying villages.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued a red alert for the entire Maharashtra coastline valid until midnight. Extremely high waves and strong tidal surges are forecasted, posing a severe threat to coastal infrastructure and maritime safety.

Disaster management officials have advised a complete suspension of all nearshore recreational activities. Small fishing vessels and commercial boats have been strictly ordered not to venture out into the sea due to the imminent threat of wave surges and severe coastal erosion.

Better arrangements during rains in Mumbai BMC has been very successful in pumping and drainage on roads and other works and BMC officers and officials were on the road even during the rains. This has been claimed by Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. Rain in Mumbai From July 1, 2026 to July 7, 2026, Mumbai received more than 300 mm of rain. Mumbai received more rain than the cities of Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru. Rapid drainage of accumulated water with the help of six pumping stations, nine mini pumping stations and 540 submersible pumps. Road and rail traffic continued smoothly in Mumbai even during heavy rains. Water Supply.

Water storage in 7 reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai as on 07 July 2026 = 28.92%Water storage increased by 12% in 24 hours from 6 am on 6 July 2026 to 6 am on 7 July 2026.

Water storage was available at 67.88% as on 07 July 2025. There has been no expected rainfall in the area of ​​7 reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai so far. The available water storage is being reviewed regularly and appropriate decisions will be taken regarding water shortage as per the situation.

Roads and Transport
2,118 km. The road network in Mumbai is maintained by the Municipal Corporation. Cement concreting of 700 km of roads has been started in two phases. Out of which, concreting of 577.46 km of roads has been completed. Work is underway on the remaining roads. 89.81% of the concreting phase-1 and 73.72% of the phase-2 work has been completed. The problem of potholes has been reduced and the cost of filling potholes has been saved by 35%. Eastern Expressway and Western Expressway are not concrete but bituminous roads. Work has already been done on the potholed areas on these highways.
A contractor has been appointed to fill the potholes. The ‘resurfacing’ of these two roads will be done as soon as the monsoon season ends.

7) A separate app is available for redressal of pothole complaints. A complaint registration system like ‘Marg’. Information is also available through newspapers and media. Due to which the speed of attention and response to potholes has increased compared to before.

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Cleaning of drains
Rivers/drains are cleaned regularly. Silt is removed.
When 300 mm of rain falls in a short period and at the same time the sea level rises by four and a half metres, it is natural for water to accumulate in a city like Mumbai, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has undergone ‘reclamation’.

3) The Municipal Corporation is trying to get funds from the National Disaster Relief Fund to permanently address these issues. For this, it is preparing a detailed project with the help of IIT Bombay. A major project is being taken up to reduce 300 to 350 ‘flood points’. This includes construction of new pumping stations, increasing the capacity of pumping stations, installation of automatic flood control gates and strengthening the network of sewerage channels.

4) Citizens are requested not to throw solid waste and floating garbage into rivers and drains.
Increase in the number of trees falling due to strong winds in the last two days.

Winds blow every year during the monsoon However, this year, winds have been blowing at a speed of 50 to 70 kmph for the last four to five days. Due to which trees suffered a lot of damage in this monsoon. Every year, trees fall during the monsoon or due to various reasons. This year, 50% of the trees that fell in a year fell in just one day. In 2022, 655 trees fell. In 2023, 687, in 2024, 653 and in 2025, 855 trees fell. While in 2026, 830 trees fell. Out of 830, 480 trees were in the private sector. As many branches as there are, trees fall. This year, 1,238 branches fell. Out of these, 709 were in the private sector.

Steps will be taken to deliver water to the roots of trees on both sides of the road in Mumbai

According to the 2018 tree census, there are 29 lakh 75 thousand trees in Mumbai. Of these, 2 lakh trees are on both sides of the road. Trees along the road are very dangerous. Many trees are on the footpaths along the road. Apart from this, there may be gutters or other channels that carry water under the road. The roads have been concreted, in some places paver blocks have been laid. Therefore, it is necessary to provide water to the roots of such trees. The roots spread far. Therefore, the municipal corporation is also considering whether it is possible to estimate how far the roots of the concerned trees have spread and to that extent, to make holes and put nets over them and pour water. Such an experiment has been done earlier in the Malabar Hill area.

Experts will be sought for tree care

We will learn about this by taking information from some experts from Mumbai University, like Dr. Sanjay Deshmukh and IIT. Efforts are being made to provide water to the roots of trees that go deep into the ground. We will also emphasize on scientific pruning of trees. Out of the 2 lakh trees along the roads, the Municipal Corporation has cut down 1 lakh trees this year. Along with this, a survey of these trees will be done and where necessary, they will be cut down. A sure method will be used for this. Expert opinion will also be taken for this.

Caution will be taken while working on various underground channels
Many trees are 50 to 60 years old. Their roots have gone very deep. Roads were built for this.