MUMBAI: A Mumbai doctor who recently took up a job in a Dhule government hospital was so brutally beaten up by irate relatives of an accident victim on Sunday night that he could lose vision in his left eye.The doctor, Rohan Mhamunkar (35), also suffered several injuries on his chest and back and was unconscious after the assault, which occurred after Holi festivities. Doctors' associations have started protesting, and say they will intensify their stir unless the government gives them an assurance of making hospitals safe for the medical fraternity. The Dhule police arrested nine people, including one who later committed suicide in lockup. Thus, in a span of 36 hours, Dhule, a dusty town, witnessed an accident and two crimes, all interlinked.The patient was a pillion rider on a two-wheeler, who succumbed to his injuries. His relatives beat up (presumably) the first doctor they approached. The person riding the two-wheeler, who was among those arrested for the assault on the doctor, committed suicide in the lockup. He went to the lockup toilet and hanged himself with a bedsheet.Superintendent of police Chaitnya S told TOI, "Pradeep Vetale committed suicide on Tuesday afternoon."As he didn't return to the lockup for a long period, three of his family members, who were in the same cell, became worried. "We haven't yet been able to confirm this, but Vetale was supposedly the rider while Laskhar (the accident victim) was the pillion," the police officer said.It was when Lashkar was taken to Sri Bhausaheb Hire Government Medical College, Dhule, around 11pm on Sunday, that his relatives got angry with Dr Mhamunkar and assaulted him. "Laskar was then taken to a private hospital, but he died within 24 hours," said Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, a Dhule-based doctor who is president-elect of the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The dean of Hire Medical College, S Satish Kumar, said, "Mhamunkar has been discharged and he has decided to take treatment in Mumbai, where he resides."On Sunday night, a mob trooped into the casualty of Dhule civil hospital with the accident victim. Dr Mhamunkar took the patient for a CT scan, but he was moving so much that it was difficult to get a proper scan. As the patient seemed to be suffering a brain haemorrhage, the doctor asked his relatives to take him to a super-specialty centre where a neurosurgeon would be available. "That is when the relatives started hitting me with rods, table, chair and scissors," Dr Mhamunkar said later.Dr Wankhedkar said, "The attackers first beat him up in the ward, but on realizing that there was a CCTV camera, moved him to the doctor's room and continued their assault."In Dhule, IMA members will march up to the collectorate and submit a memorandum of demands to make hospitals safer for doctors. "Doctors (in Dhule) will hence not be available (on Wednesday) except for emergencies," said Dr Wankhedkar.The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) started a black-badge protest on Tuesday. "We are waiting for the government to make a statement about making hospitals safer by increasing security as well as other measures," said central MARD president Dr Yasvardhan Kabra. "We will then take a call on intensifying our stir."In Dhule, resident doctors refrained from working on Tuesday and demanded police protection. Nashik district guardian minister Girish Mahajan, speaking to journalists at the Nashik mayoral election, said he had appointed former director general of anti-corruption bureau Praveen Dixit to look into security issues at the Dhule hospital.The Association of Medical Consultants' president Veena Pandit said, "Doctors will not be able to offer their services to patients with this fear of violence. Unless justice is swift and firm, the Maharashtra Medicare Act 2010 will lose its value."Meanwhile, local doctors said Lashkar's family members had started berating Vetale for his death. Chaos prevailed at the Dhule city police station as his relatives were not willing to take Vetale's body. But after an intervention from local people's representatives, who assured a CID probe into the suicide, the body was received by the relatives. The body was later sent to Hire Medical College for a post-mortem.V K Chaube, inspector general (special), Nashik Range, said the custodial death will be investigated by the CID as is the procedure in such cases.

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