'Enter, don't spare doctors': Sena workers accused of attacking staff at Palghar hospital | India News - Hindustan Times

**Palghar Hospital Assault Over Medical‑Bill Dispute** *Palghar, Maharashtra – 5 May 2024* – On Thursday evening, a group of Shiv Sena workers entered the Sub‑District Hospital in Palghar and physically assaulted doctors, nurses and administrative staff. The confrontation erupted after the hospital demanded payment for a computed‑tomography (CT) scan and other investigations performed on a 28‑year‑old man who suffered injuries during a Dahi Handi celebration. According to eyewitness video released by NDTV, the workers shouted “Enter, don’t spare doctors” before pushing hospital personnel, slapping a senior nurse and threatening senior physicians who were trying to explain the billing procedures.

The police registered a first‑information report (FIR) and booked Shiv Sena district chief *Shivram Patil* under sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to assault and criminal intimidation. The hospital’s director, Dr. Ramesh Deshmukh, condemned the attack, stating that “our staff were merely following standard medical‑billing protocol; no one should face violence for seeking legitimate payment.” The Shiv Sena party, through its state spokesperson, expressed “deep regret” over the incident and said the men involved would be “strictly dealt with” while also asserting that the bill was “excessive and unaffordable for the victim’s family.”

The assault adds to a spate of recent confrontations between political cadres and public‑service employees in Maharashtra, prompting calls from the state health department for a swift, impartial investigation. Officials warned that any intimidation of medical professionals could jeopardise patient care and undermine the rule of law. Civil‑society groups have urged the government to enforce stricter penalties for violence against health‑care workers and to review the pricing of essential diagnostic services to prevent similar flashpoints in the future.