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A man, arrested with eight others for assaulting a doctor at a government hospital in Dhule in North Maharashtra, committed suicide in the lock-up on Tuesday, police said. Pradeep Vetal and eight others, relatives of a patient, had been arrested for beating up a doctor at the government hospital attached to Hire Medical College in Dhule on
Sunday. CCTV footage of the assault had gone viral. Vetal today hanged himself in the toilet of police lock-up, Dhule superintendent of police S Chaitanya told PTI
over phone. Further probe was underway, he added.

Meanwhile, members of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) today wore black ribbons on their arms to protest the assault on Dr Rohan Mhamunkar at the Dhule hospital. According to police, an accident victim had been admitted to the hospital, and his relatives had a spat with Dr Mhamunkar over the course of treatment and beat him up. Dr Yashowardhan Kabra of MARD said the organisation will take up the issue with the senior government officials and demand adequate police protection for doctors.

Sagar Mundada, chairman of Maharashtra youth wing of IMA, said, "Maharashtra Medicare Act 2010 is not implemented strictly. There should be adequate protection for doctors in the government hospitals. The Act restricts the number of relatives who can be with the patient inside the hospital, but this rule is always flouted."