Kalyan: The complainant in the July 6 Shastri Nagar Hospital assault case, Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe, began recording his testimony against Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and others before a fast-track court in Kalyan on Tuesday.His testimony will continue on Wednesday as its recording could not be completed after a power outage interrupted court proceedings.Salunkhe and Baviskar were allegedly assaulted after they advised a pregnant woman who had come to the hospital in Dombivli for delivery to be taken to Mumbai for further treatment.Mhatre is lodged in Adharwadi jail in accordance with a Supreme Court order in the case.Salunkhe was brought to court under heavy police security. The examination of Salunkhe was originally scheduled for September 29 but was postponed after he cited health issues.Salunkhe narrated the sequence of events to the court. He said he had not received threatening phone calls but was under considerable mental stress following the incident, which prompted him to leave for his hometown. He informed the court that he had resigned from his job through an email on July 11.Public prosecutor Prakash Salsingikar represented the prosecution, while advocate V A Bhanushali conducted the cross-examination on behalf of the accused.During the cross-examination, the defence sought to suggest that alleged negligence by the doctors in treating the patient had led to the incident.The examination of Baviskar is likely to be held after Salunkhe’s.During the recording of Salunkhe’s testimony, the judge specifically asked him whether he had been threatened, which he denied.Media reports had claimed that he had been threatened after the incident and was frightened as a result. The issue had come under the Bombay high court’s scrutiny following the reports. The high court had directed the DCP to investigate the allegations and submit a report.According to the police report, Salunkhe received 100 phone calls between July 6 and August 4. Of these, 70 were from unknown numbers, including 55 calls identified as being from journalists. The inquiry found no calls linked to threats, according to the report.The special court referred to the high court-directed inquiry while questioning Salunkhe about the alleged threats. The police report and its findings also came up during Tuesday’s proceedings.
