Man struggling with depression vandalises PMC health chief’s cabin

Pune: The security arrangement at the office of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health chief was breached as a person allegedly struggling with depression damaged the television placed on a wall at the room on Tuesday.

According to officials, the man with a stone in hand entered the cabin of PMC health chief Dr Nina Borade in the evening and damaged the wall TV and was stopped by staff and security before he could break a glass door. The intruder was later handed over to the Shivajinagar police. Dr Borade was present in the office when the incident took place.

The police have booked the trespasser, a resident of Narhe on Sinhagad Road, under Section 324 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Section 85 of the Maharashtra Alcohol Prohibition Act 1949 after PMC security staff Ganesh Jadhav filed a complaint. The accused was under the influence of alcohol when he vandalised the office property, the police said.

Chandrashekar Sawant, senior inspector, Shivajinagar Police Station, said, “The accused, who is suffering from depression, had no purpose to visit the health department office. We have suggested to his family to provide him mental healthcare and monitor his whereabouts.”

The civic medical staff have demanded increased security after the tragic incident in Kolkata where a trainee doctor was found raped and murdered in RG Kar Hospital on August 9.

According to sources, the accused and his wife suffer from thalassemia, and their seven-year-old son is also thalassemia positive. It is alleged that he went into depression after a private doctor failed to diagnose the ailment during the pregnancy and PMC failed to take action on his complaint.

“There are several female and male doctors working at PMC. The health department daily deals with sensitive issues like life and death when people are mostly going through emotional trauma. There is a need to increase security at the health department,” Dr Borade said, adding that the civic administration had no involvement in the condition of the accused’s son and there was no complaint filed by him.

“How can one come and vandalise the office of a senior female officer for no reason for an incident that took place seven years back,” she said.

Meanwhile, PMC has set up a grievance redressal cell with toll-free number 1800 233 4151 to redress complaints of violations of rights and responsibilities of patients and registered nursing homes.