Satara:The case of suicide of a 29-year-old female doctor in Satara district of Maharashtra has created a sensation in the entire state. The police have arrested a police sub-inspector and a software engineer in this case. The doctor was posted at Phaltan Sub-District Hospital on Thursday and was found dead in her hotel room in Phaltan.
Two names were mentioned in the suicide note written on the doctor’s hand, Prashant Bankar and Gopal Badane. In the note, he accused Prashant Bankar of mental harassment and police sub-inspector Gopal Badane of sexual harassment.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police arrested Banker from a farmhouse near Pune, while Sub Inspector Badane himself surrendered at Phaltan Rural Police Station.
Satara SP Tushar Doshi said that the doctor and the banker previously had a close relationship, which had deteriorated in recent weeks. Police said that chat and call records show that the doctor was highly emotionally involved in the relationship and became stressed after being kept away from Banker. According to an officer, “There were frequent arguments between them, due to which the mental pressure increased.”
Banker’s sister told that when her brother was suffering from dengue last month, the doctor was treating him. During this time, both of them grew closer again. The sister revealed that a day before the suicide, the doctor called Banker several times and sent continuous messages. The family has handed over all call and chat records to the police.
In one of the doctor’s complaints it was also claimed that some senior police officers and an MP were pressurizing him to falsify the post-mortem report. These allegations have made the matter more complicated. Investigation also revealed that Banker’s father had asked police sub-inspector Badane to intervene to calm the dispute.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the incident as “extremely sad and sensitive”. “Whoever is found guilty will be given strict punishment. The police officers concerned have been suspended,” he said.
He also appealed to the opposition not to give political color to this matter.
However, the case appeared to take a political turn when it was revealed that the doctor had earlier told an investigating committee that associates of an MP had asked him to cooperate in government work. Opposition leaders accused former BJP MP Ranjit Singh Naik Nimbalkar of putting pressure on him on this basis, which he termed baseless.
After the death of the doctor, there is huge anger among the medical community and public in Maharashtra. #JusticeForDoctor is trending on social media and people have demanded strict punishment for the accused. Police are now conducting a thorough investigation on the basis of suicide note, call records, CCTV and statement.
