The acting dean at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital, which is at the centre of a massive crisis following the death of 35 people in a span of 48 hours in Maharashtra’s Nanded district, was allegedly made to clean toilets by Shiv Sena MP Hemant Patil.

After a video of the incident went viral, the Nanded Rural police registered a first information report (FIR) against Hemant Patil. He allegedly forced the dean to clean the toilets after 31 deaths were reported at the hospital.

“Patil was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) under charges of criminal intimidation and defamation, among others, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act,” a police officer said, Indian Express reported.

In a video, which has been widely shared on social media, shows Dr Shyamrao Wakode, the acting dean, holding a wiper and cleaning a toilet and wall-mounted urinals.

Also read:Maharashtra: 31 deaths in 48 hours at Nanded hospital; govt forms probe committee

The MP can be seen calling out the dean for not even having simple mugs inside the toilets and for shouting at people who don’t use toilets, questioning if they behave similarly in their own homes.

Death toll reaches 35 after 4 more deaths reported

Four more patients were reported dead on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 35. The Shankarrao Chavan government hospital has been witnessing a spate of deaths for the past two days.

Also read:Maharashtra: 17 patients die in 24 hours in Thane hospital, state-level panel to probe deaths

A probe has been ordered by the Maharashtra government after the deaths. Earlier on Monday, the count was reported at 24 people, including 12 infants.

Dr Shyamrao Wakode, the dean of the hospital, earlier rejected all allegations of medical negligence, claiming there was no shortage of medicines or doctors. He also stated that the patients apparently did not respond despite receiving proper care and treatment from the hospital facility, as reported by NDTV.

A statement released by the hospital indicated that among the patients who died, four were heart patients, one died due to poisoning, one had a gastric disease, two had kidney disease, one had obstetric complications, and the other three were accident cases. In the case of child patients, four were already in the terminal stage when they were transferred from a private hospital.

The written statement read, “In recent days, more critical patients, especially those in terminal stages, have been arriving from the district and other areas. The dedicated medical team and staff are diligently attending to their needs. This medical college and hospital have a longstanding history of providing excellent services to the community, and all admitted patients are receiving the necessary care.”