Gatherings banned near Pune hospital after protests over woman's death

Pune: Pune police have banned any gathering near the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, days after protests by political parties over the death of a pregnant woman disrupted traffic and caused inconvenience to patients, officials said on Wednesday.

Tanisha Bhise, wife of the personal secretary of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, was first allegedly refused admission at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, a charitable medical facility, over non-payment of a Rs 10 lakh deposit last month. Subsequently, she died at another facility after giving birth to twin daughters.

Activists of major political parties staged a protest outside the hospital on April 4, demanding action against the doctors and staff allegedly responsible for the woman's death.

The agitation caused inconvenience to patients and relatives, disrupted traffic and created hurdles for ambulances, as per the prohibitory order issued Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma on Tuesday.

Citing this, Sharma issued the order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibiting any gathering within a 100-metre radius of the hospital. The order exempts patients, their relatives and ambulances at the medical facility.

A consulting gynaecologist the hospital, under fire over the death of the pregnant woman, has resigned, citing the intense public anger, social media backlash, and threat calls as reasons for stepping down.

A committee conducting a probe into the woman's death has indicted the hospital for violating norms that prohibited charitable hospitals from demanding advance payments in emergency cases.