THANE: A day after a radiologist from Ambernath was brutally attacked by her husband with an iron pestle in a fit of rage over a Facebook comment, the accused, Vishwambhar Shinde, 50, was produced before a local court on Thursday and remanded in police custody.
The Ambernath police have booked Shinde under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including section 85 (cruelty by husband or his relatives towards a woman), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt with dangerous means), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace).
According to police, the incident took place around 4.30 am on Wednesday at the couple’s flat in Mohan Suburbia, an upscale residential complex in Ambernath.
Dr Kiran Shinde, 46, a well-known radiologist who runs three diagnostic centres, one in Badlapur and two in Ambernath, was attacked by her husband after one of her male school friends commented “Nice DP” on her social media profile picture. The picture, taken during a recent school reunion trip to Matheran, is believed to have triggered the accused’s outburst.
Police said Shinde, who manages his wife’s diagnostic centres, confronted her early that morning, apparently consumed by jealousy. Dr Shinde, who had woken up early and was following her morning routine of singing before making tea, was in the kitchen when her husband struck her multiple times on the head with an iron pestle.
As Dr Shinde screamed for help, their two sons, aged 18 and 12, rushed to the kitchen. “The accused continued to assault her until she started bleeding profusely, after which he stopped,” said a police officer. It is also suspected that Shinde tried to strangulate his wife before the children intervened.
She was first taken to Akshay Hospital, near their residence, where she received four stitches on her head. Later, she was shifted to Airavat Hospital in Badlapur, around 10 km away.
Dr Abhishek Dusane, who is treating her at Airavat Hospital, said, “The patient is out of danger as the injuries are external. There is no reason to panic.”
Pattern of abuse
This was not the first time Dr Shinde had faced violence at home. She told the police that her husband had assaulted her on multiple occasions in the past, and two non-cognisable (NC) complaints were earlier registered against him. “I have endured this for years for the sake of my children. But now, I want strict action. I want the law to take its course,” Dr Shinde told HT.
Senior police inspector Shabbir Sayyed of Ambernath police station confirmed her account. “Two non-cognisable (NC) complaints for assault were previously recorded against the accused. We have arrested him and are conducting further investigations,” he said.