Kalyan: The complainant in the case, Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe, who was among those allegedly assaulted by Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and his supporters at Shastri Nagar Hospital run by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), has returned to his village in Amravati and it is unclear when he will resume duty, according to Dr Mahendra Baviskar, the father of another victim, Dr Srushti Baviskar. Dr Srushti continues to suffer from severe emotional distress, he said. Hospital sources said the two nurses who were attacked are also yet to resume work.Dr Mahendra said, “My daughter has nightmares that someone is attacking her. The assault has left both of them traumatised.” Calling the attack “cowardly”, he said, “Both sleep fitfully, believing someone is coming to assault them again. Despite the trauma, neither of them has resigned.”EMKAY Agency, which has deployed six doctors, including Dr Salunkhe and Dr Srushti, at the hospital, met KDMC health officials on Friday and sought enhanced security for its medical staff. George Fernandes, a representative of the agency, said the two assaulted doctors have sought assurances of safety before resuming their duties. “Our doctors are frightened. They want guaranteed security, especially during night shifts when police personnel and security guards are limited. The two doctors who were assaulted will decide after a week whether they are ready to resume work.”KDMC health officer Dr Deepa Shukla said civic chief Abhinav Goel had already ordered that 24×7 security be deployed at the corporation’s three major hospitals. “Such arrangements have been in place since Thursday.”The assault had triggered statewide protests by the medical fraternity, with doctors in Kalyan-Dombivli suspending non-emergency services for two days. The strike was called off only after Mhatre’s arrest and Goel’s assurances of enhanced security.
