Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting doctors and staff at the Shastri Nagar Hospital in Thane’s Dombivli, The Times of India quoted the deputy commissioner of police as saying.

The incident took place on Monday. Mhatre had been absconding till Wednesday, according to The Indian Express. Three of his associates had been arrested earlier.

On Monday, doctors at the state-run hospital asked the family of a newborn to transfer the baby to another hospital because there were no beds available in the neonatal intensive care unit, reported PTI.

According to the police, this prompted the family to contact Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital with his supporters.

Surveillance camera footage that was later shared on social media showed the corporator and his associates punching and slapping the hospital staff, NDTV reported.

The three associates who were arrested earlier were identified as Ramesh Pawar, Pramod Nikam and Akshay Karande, The Indian Express reported.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Suhas Hemade told the newspaper that they were identified based on the CCTV footage and would be produced before a local court.

The police had registered the case against the Shinde Sena corporator and four others based on a complaint by a doctor, Vaibhav Salunkhe, reported The Times of India.

They have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections pertaining to assault on a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting.

They also face charges under the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property Act.

Mhatre has denied that he assaulted a woman doctor, according to The Times of India.

He claimed that he had only tried to take her mobile phone because she continued speaking on it while he was seeking information about the patient’s condition.

The incident had prompted widespread protests by doctors and healthcare workers, The Indian Express reported.

Following a call by the Indian Medical Association, routine outpatient and non-emergency services were suspended at several civic hospitals, including Shastri Nagar Hospital, Rukminibai Hospital, Harkishan Das Hospital, Shaktidham Hospital and Vasant Valley Maternity Hospital, as well as at several private hospitals.

The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors had announced that doctors in government medical colleges and hospitals would wear black ribbons on Thursday while continuing to provide services, The Indian Express reported.

The association had given the authorities 72 hours to identify and arrest those responsible. It warned that it would begin an indefinite statewide protest if no further arrests were made.

Edited by Sneha.