In a fresh twist in the Satara doctor suicide case, a sibling of one of the accused, Prashant Bankar, has claimed that the deceased doctor had been harassing his brother and pestering him to marry her.
The 28-year-old doctor from Beed district in the Marathwada region of central Maharashtra had been posted at a government hospital in Satara district. She was found dead in Phaltan town on October 23.
In a suicide note scribbled on her palm, she named Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and Bankar as being responsible for driving her to take the extreme step. The doctor accused SI Badane of raping her multiple times and Bankar of mentally harassing her.
Based on this note, an FIR was registered under Sections 64 (rape) and 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Also Read: Maharashtra doctor’s suicide: Police sub-inspector accused of rape arrested
According to reports, the doctor last year rented a room owned by Bankar’s parents, and had been friendly with the family members. Bankar reportedly visited home for an extended stay after falling ill with dengue.
Speaking to reporters, one of his siblings said the doctor treated Bankar while he was at home and both of them gradually grew closer. “They exchanged phone numbers. About 15 days ago, she proposed marriage to him but he turned it down,” the sibling claimed.
Satara police arrested Bankar on October 25 in connection with the case.
Also Read: Doctor’s rape, suicide: In old ‘statement’ to panel, she accused MP of ‘pressure’
Bankar’s sibling also rebutted claims made in news reports that Bankar was arrested from a farmhouse in Pune.
The sibling said the family members urged him to surrender, and his social media records and call details were given to the police. They claimed that Bankar never called the doctor. “Instead, the doctor used to call him and harass him repeatedly,” the sibling claimed.
The sibling told the media that the doctor celebrated Diwali at their residence. “If my brother harassed her, then how did she celebrate Diwali with our family? We even have photographs of it,” the sibling said, claiming that Bankar had told the sibling that the doctor had threatened to end her life.
According to reports, the police have said that the techie also claimed that the doctor had harassed him for marriage. Satara SP, Tushar Doshi, said a court has remanded the techie in four-day police custody till October 28.
Also Read: Maharashtra doctor dies by suicide; writes note on palm accusing 2 cops of rape, harassment
Meanwhile, the police are also investigating the role of the Badane, whose name was also mentioned in the doctor’s suicide note. Badane, who was at large after the doctor’s suicide, surrendered in Phaltan Rural on Saturday evening.
SP Doshi said technical evidence and WhatsApp chats will be verified.
Besides the note on her palm, the doctor also left a four-page note alleging repeated harassment by a police officer and political pressure from a Member of Parliament to manipulate medical reports.
She claimed she was targeted because of her Beed district connection and warned that the police would be responsible if anything happened to her. Her complaints included repeated pressure to issue falsified fitness and post-mortem certificates, and threats from police and political aides.
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Her allegations have sparked a political storm. Opposition leader in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, cited some reports and talked about the alleged involvement of a politician.
“Some influential individuals associated with the BJP also attempted to pressure her into corruption. This is the most despicable example of a criminally protected ideology. This is not a suicide—it is an institutional murder,” he added in the post. Rahul also expressed solidarity with the doctor’s family and demanded justice.
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
