In a significant development, authorities have arrested Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane in connection with the tragic death of a woman government doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district.
Sub-Inspector Badane surrendered to the Phaltan Rural Police Station in Satara on Saturday evening and was promptly taken into custody, according to District Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi.
Earlier on the same Saturday morning, Phaltan police apprehended software engineer Prashant Bankar in Pune. The doctor’s note had explicitly named Bankar alongside Badane.
Bankar, who stands accused of mentally harassing the victim and faces charges of abetment to suicide, appeared before a Satara district court on Saturday and was remanded into four-day police custody.
Meanwhile, there are calls from Maharashtra leaders for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and an independent inquiry into the woman doctor’s death.
The deceased doctor, originally from the Beed district in central Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, was working at a government hospital in Satara when she was found dead on Thursday night.
Tragically, a note discovered written on her palm explicitly accused Police Sub-Inspector Badane of repeatedly raping her. The note also stated that software engineer Bankar subjected her to severe mental harassment.
Consequently, a case including charges of rape and abetment of suicide has been filed against both individuals in Phaltan, Satara district.
Police investigations reveal that Bankar is the son of the doctor’s landlord.
It is further alleged that the doctor had spoken to and exchanged messages with Bankar shortly before her death.
Sub-Inspector Badane was suspended from his duties as soon as his name surfaced during the ongoing inquiry.
The doctor’s cremation took place in her hometown of Wadwani tehsil, Beed, on Friday night.
Her grieving relatives are now demanding the harshest possible punishment for the accused.
Speaking to a news channel, a relative claimed that the doctor had repeatedly reported harassment, but her complaints allegedly went unaddressed.
Another family member stated that the victim was often pressured by ‘political people in Phaltan’ to alter medical reports, especially during her regular autopsy duties. They further alleged that her numerous complaints against the PSI mentioned in her note were consistently ignored.
In a related development, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve has accused former BJP MP Ranjitsingh Naik Nimbalkar of having previously pressured the doctor. Nimbalkar vehemently denied these allegations, calling them baseless and suggesting his name was being intentionally implicated.
BJP MLA Suresh Dhas also demanded that the unnamed MP who allegedly exerted pressure on the doctor should be considered an accused in the case.
Documents reportedly show that earlier this year, after a subordinate police official lodged a complaint against her, the doctor had submitted a reply to Satara district authorities, detailing threats from police officials regarding her work methods and derogatory remarks about her native Beed district.
Her two cousins, who are also medical professionals, have alleged that the hospital administration deliberately assigned her excessive post-mortem duties as a form of harassment.
The victim’s family shared that she had ambitions of pursuing an MD (Doctor of Medicine) course and was actively preparing for the entrance.
Her uncle informed PTI that a loan of ₹3 lakh taken for her MBBS education remained outstanding.
He further elaborated, “Her father is an uneducated farmer. I, being a teacher, took her to Beed for schooling. She was determined not to stop at MBBS but aspired to pursue an MD in medicine, ENT, or other non-clinical specializations.”
For individuals experiencing distress or suicidal thoughts, help is available. Please reach out to helplines such as Connecting NGO at 1800 843 4353 (Toll-Free) or 9922001122 (daily, 12 noon to 8 p.m., Pune).