Mumbai: A 34-year-old businessman, Rahul Gupta, allegedly entered VN Desai Hospital in Santacruz East with a bamboo stick and struck a 30-year-old patient, Sanjay Gupta, on the head. When hospital staff tried to stop him, he allegedly verbally abused them, slapped a sweeper, and hit another staff member on the hand.
He also reportedly damaged a chair and a fan in the hospital. Based on a complaint by a BMC medical officer, the Vakola police registered a case against Rahul Gupta on June 25 and subsequently arrested him.
According to the police, Rahul Gupta and Sanjay Gupta are relatives and both reside in Khar East. Rahul Gupta runs an event management business, while Sanjay Gupta works with a private company. The victim, Sanjay Gupta, is Rahul Gupta’s brother-in-law. Rahul’s wife is currently staying at her parents’ house with their minor daughter.
On June 25, Rahul Gupta went to his wife’s parents’ house and started an argument with his brother-in-law over taking his daughter with him. The argument escalated, leading to a physical altercation, during which Sanjay Gupta sustained minor injuries.
The matter was reported to the Nirmal Nagar police station. Later, Sanjay Gupta went to VN Desai Hospital for a medical check-up. Shortly afterwards, the accused, Rahul Gupta, also entered the hospital. At around 3:30 PM, he walked into the casualty department with a bamboo stick and hit Sanjay Gupta on the head while he was receiving treatment.
In response to his behaviour, the hospital’s security and cleaning staff tried to restrain him. However, Rahul Gupta was reportedly not in a state to listen to anyone and continued verbally abusing and threatening the staff. He allegedly shouted, "Move aside, I will kill him (Sanjay Gupta)."
When the staff attempted to detain him, he allegedly slapped a sweeper, Kishor Maru, and struck security guard Hanumant Jadhav on the hand. He then damaged a chair and a fan with the bamboo stick. He also allegedly verbally abused intern doctors, hospital staff, and other patients.
Eventually, the hospital staff managed to apprehend him and called the Vakola police control room. The police took him into custody and subsequently arrested him. The victim was later shifted to Sion Hospital by his relatives after initial treatment.
Dr. Sayyid Jilani, 24, the casualty medical officer, filed the complaint against Rahul Gupta. The Vakola police have registered a case under Section 4 (committing or abetting violence against medical personnel or damaging their property) of the Maharashtra Medical Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, along with relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
