Eknath Shinde expels Sena unit chief in Palghar for assaulting hospital staff

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Monday announced the suspension and expulsion of the party’s Palghar city chief, Rahul Gharat, after he was booked for allegedly assaulting staff at a private hospital.Calling the incident “extremely unfortunate”, Shinde said grievances over treatment should be pursued legally and warned that attacks on doctors or hospital staff would not be tolerated.“Assaulting doctors or other staff members is inappropriate, and the Shiv Sena will not condone such incidents,” Shinde told reporters after attending the Western Zonal Council meeting in Goa.Police registered a case against 17 Shiv Sena functionaries, including Gharat, for allegedly assaulting, abusing and threatening employees of Relief Hospital in Palghar during a dispute over the medical bills of five people injured during Dahi Handi celebrations. ROW OVER MEDICAL BILLFive participants, Omkar Kalwadkar, Akash Patil, Hitesh Chaudhari, Keshav Thakur and Aniket Mahyavansh, were taken to the hospital on Saturday night after being injured while forming human pyramids at a Dahi Handi event outside the Shiv Sena’s central office.Their combined medical bill had reached Rs 19,866 by midnight. An associate paid Rs 10,000 in cash, but an argument erupted when a group allegedly demanded that the patients be discharged without payment of the remaining amount. At around 1.15 am, a group of 15 to 20 people allegedly led by Sankhe and Gharat entered the casualty ward. Police said they abused an on-duty doctor and slapped receptionist Babulinga.The group allegedly entered the intensive care unit, endangering patients admitted there, and forcibly removed one of the injured Dahi Handi participants.The accused were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act.The charges include assault, criminal intimidation, trespass and unlawful assembly.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 20:01 IST