NAGPUR: A hospital supervisor was allegedly assaulted with a hockey stick and punched in the face by a group of men following a dispute over a ₹1,500 treatment bill at Niramay Hospital under the Imamwada police station limits. The accused also allegedly vandalised hospital property during the incident.

According to the police complaint, the incident took place between the night of October 20 and the early hours of October 21. Subhash Krishnaji Gaidhaney (36), a resident of Siraspeth, was on night duty as a supervisor at Niramay Hospital when a man identified as Sandeep Thokar (42) was brought there for treatment following an accident.

After examining the patient, doctors conducted an X-ray of his leg and diagnosed a fracture. They applied a bandage and advised that he be admitted to the hospital for further treatment.

However, the people accompanying the patient allegedly decided to take him elsewhere. When Gaidhaney asked one of them to pay ₹1,500 towards the treatment, the man allegedly refused and threatened him, saying that he could do whatever he wanted and warning him to come outside.

The group then left the hospital with the patient but allegedly returned after some time with additional men. They confronted the supervisor, questioning why he had not handed over the treatment documents to the patient, and allegedly abused him.

The accused subsequently assaulted Gaidhaney with a hockey stick and punched him in the face, causing injuries. They also allegedly damaged hospital property.

Based on the supervisor’s complaint, Imamwada police registered a case against Sagar Nikam (30), a resident of Chandan Nagar, Imamwada, another man identified only by the surname Tiwari, and other alleged accomplices under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act.