A 40-year-old Ramsey man was charged with first-degree assault and domestic assault Wednesday in Anoka County District Court after allegedly hitting his 77-year-old father-in-law in the head so hard "it knocked the dentures from [his] mouth," according to the criminal complaint.

The day after Mehendra Sukhdeo struck and injured his father-in-law, Sukhdeo's wife, Rajkumarie, would not allow her father to see a doctor because she said "he was not sick," the complaint said. The father-in-law secretly called an ambulance and was taken to the hospital, where he was found to be suffering from a "rather extensive right-sided subdural hematoma" for which he had to undergo brain surgery.

There were medical complications during surgery and as a result, the father-in-law is now unresponsive and remains hospitalized, according to the complaint.

Mehendra and Rajkumarie Sukhdeo, who live with their two children and her parents in a home in Ramsey, do not allow the grandparents to leave their home, according to the complaint. Mehendra Sukhdeo hides the father-in-law's "walker to prevent him from leaving the home," and also does not allow the grandparents to use the telephone, it continued.

If the grandparents tried to leave the house or go outside, Mehendra Sukhdeo, 40, would yell at his father-in-law, and Rajkumarie Sukhdeo, 43, often stepped in to try to calm her husband, their children told police.

On March 7, Mehendra Sukhdeo became upset with his father-in-law, whom he believed had been outside while the Sukhdeos were away from home. Mehendra Sukhdeo then struck his father-in-law before Rajkumarie Sukhdeo intervened and "physically restrained him," according to the complaint.

The next day, the father-in-law complained about pain to his daughter, but she denied him help in seeking medical attention, the charges say.

On March 9, the father-in-law asked a neighbor to call 911 and was taken to the hospital via ambulance, the complaint said.

"It's a sad situation where a 77-year-old person, as we are alleging, [is] struck and having to go to the hospital," said Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo.

Mehendra Sukhdeo's bail is set at $200,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 14.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647 Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora