Saket ground reality: Victim beaten up by hospital staff

On June 3, two people were found near the Saket ground on the Saket Kalwa road. While one person died, the other was in coma. On Friday, after regaining consciousness, he revealed his horrific story.

Satendar Rajeshwar Pandey, 30, who is from Bihar but stayed at Bhiwandi, died on the spot, while Birenkumar Verma, 30, who is from Uttar Pradesh and stayed in Bhiwandi, is recuperating. Both worked in different departments of a colour dying factory in Bhiwandi. Verma told the Thane hospital staff that he was admitted to Indira Gandhi hospital in Bhiwandi as he was suffering from pain and cramps and could not walk. A few patients complained that he was smelling because of his injuries and they feared of contracting some disease. So, the hospital staff started beating him up and threw him out of the hospital.

Later, a police constable, who was patrolling the area, saw him lying on the ground and rushed him to Shivaji hospital in Kalwa. 

Verma said, "On the day of the incident, I was in lot of pain. I was sitting near a lamp post when a police van came and put me inside. On regaining consciousness, I realised I was in hospital."
Indira Gandhi hospital's contractor for bedsheets and bed, Mahesh Shirke, 42, two sweepers – Majoor Ahmed Bashir Ansari, 40, and Jay Sukhdev Dharania aka Gotya, 18 – and an ambulance driver, Ashfaq Rafiq Shaikh, 25, are the main accused.

An officer from Rabodi police station said, "We have arrested the accused, but investigations are on. How can someone, without permission from the hospital authority, throw a patient out? This incident is bizarre. The Indira Gandhi hospital is a government-run hospital and if such things are taking place there, then it is wrong. Investigations are on to get more details from patients as well as hospital authority."

Senior police inspector MD Survase from Rabodi police station said, "When we first came to know about the two persons lying near Saket ground. Our additional commissioner of police, Thane (crime) Dr R Singhal, ACP L Nadaf and inspector from Rabdoi police station, K Chavan, started working on the case. We arrested the accused within 48 hours. Investigations are on to get how Pandey landed in the same hospital and how he suffered injuries."

The accused have been charged under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.