pune

Updated: Mar 13, 2018 23:28 IST

In a shocking incident, a Pune doctor has been accused of seeking help from a godman (mantrik) to reportedly ward off evil from his patient while the patient was battling for her life in a city-based hospital.

The 24-year-old patient, Sandhya Sonawane, was battling for her life and was admitted at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. Her former doctor, Dr Satish Chavan has been accused of seeking help of a godman to ward off the evil from the patient after she failed to recover. Sonawane, however, lost her life on Monday evening.

On Tuesday late afternoon, Dr Chavan Nursing Home was shut and the Dr Chavan did not respond to phone calls.

Following her death, her brother Mahesh Jagtap approached city-based Shiv Sena leader Sachin Taware and reported the superstitious practice by Dr Chavan. The duo later approached city-based Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), a voluntary organisation that works towards eradication of blind faith and superstitions across the state.

Speaking about the incident, Mahesh Jagtap said, on Tuesday, “My sister was initially undergoing treatment at Chavan Nursing Home near Swargate. She was suffering with cysts for the past three months and underwent an operation under the guidance of Dr Chavan on around February 20. “The bleeding failed to stop and hence was shifted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital.”

Jagtap said that the family continued to take guidance from Dr Chavan who visited the patient. According to Jagtap, when his sister failed to recover, Dr Chavan got a godman to Deenanath hospital’s ICU, three to four days before her death to ward off any evil.

Sharing her views, secretary of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), Nandini Jadhav, said that a police complaint would be filed in the matter and necessary action should be taken against those who are guilty. She further stated that it is sad to witness such incidents in Pune, a city known for its progressive attitude. Shiv Sena leader Sachin Taware, too, shared similar views. He said that when the patient’s brother approached him, he agreed to support the Jagtap family and stand for them.

Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, clarified that

Dr Satish Chavan was not part of the Deenanath Mangeshkar

Hospital. Kelkar said, “We will help the police in their investigations and provide the CCTV footage to trace the godman and Dr Chavan. However, Chavan is not working with us. Our staff and medical practitioners are unaware about this incident.”

Meanwhile, Doctors from Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, where she was later admitted, have said that the patient died of multi-organ failure. Dr Sameer Jog, ICU in-charge at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said that the patient was on dialysis and died of multi-organ failure.