Fresh details have emerged in the death by suicide case of a 29-year-old doctor from the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital, pointing to a long-standing conflict between the deceased and local police officials — marked by allegations, counter-allegations, and official complaints from both sides.
Investigation has revealed that the doctor had written to senior officers alleging pressure from police personnel and political interference, while the police, in turn, accused her of non-cooperation in issuing medical fitness certificates for accused in custody in separate cases, resulting in difficulty for them to gain custodial remand of suspects
In her first letter dated June 19, 2025, addressed to the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Phaltan, the doctor complained with only surnames of some officials that sub-inspector Patil, assistant police inspector Jaipatre, and sub-inspector Gopal Badane had repeatedly pressured her to issue fitness certificates for accused brought to the hospital. Despite informing inspector Sunil Mahadik of the Phaltan Rural Police Station about this, no action was taken, she wrote, urging the SDPO to intervene.
Subsequently, on August 13, 2025, the doctor filed an RTI application to SDPO (Phaltan) seeking details of the action taken on her June 19 complaint. She attached copies of her earlier letter and affixed two ₹5 court fee stamps as required under RTI rules.
{{/usCountry}}Subsequently, on August 13, 2025, the doctor filed an RTI application to SDPO (Phaltan) seeking details of the action taken on her June 19 complaint. She attached copies of her earlier letter and affixed two ₹5 court fee stamps as required under RTI rules.
{{/usCountry}}Around the same time, in July 2025, police officials from the Phaltan Police Station submitted a written complaint against the doctor to the Satara Civil Surgeon. The complaint, supported by station diary entries and related documents, accused her of deliberately issuing “not fit” certificates for accused persons, which allegedly delayed arrests and custodial interrogations.
HT has reviewed all the letters.
Based on the allegations from both sides, the Satara Civil Surgeon appointed a two-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
In her detailed four-page written statement to the committee in August 2025, the doctor reiterated her charges against the police and alleged political pressure. She claimed that the personal assistant (PA) of a Member of Parliament (MP) had called her, accusing her of favouring the accused because she hailed from Beed district. She, however, did not name the MP.
Her statement read: “On July 31, 2025, when Phaltan police brought an accused for medical examination, I observed that he had high blood pressure and decided to admit him for treatment. However, the police insisted on taking him back immediately.” HT has reviewed the statement.
She wrote that when two other accused, Malhari Chavan and Swapnil Jadhav, were brought in, she referred Chavan for a 2D Echo test in Satara and examined Jadhav locally. The fitness certificate for Jadhav was later issued as per medical superintendent of Satara district Dr Anshuman Dhumal’s instructions.
According to her statement, within minutes, two of the MP’s PAs arrived at the hospital and connected her to the MP over the phone, who allegedly scolded her for “not issuing certificates as desired by the police”.
In another case involving a sugarcane contractor accused of stealing an electricity distribution panel (DP) box, the doctor had declared the accused “unfit”, angering the police. She also described a July 16, 2025, dispute over a fitness certificate for a female accused and sugarcane cutter Laxmi Kharat, stating that decisions on such certificates “fall solely under a doctor’s judgment” and police “cannot intervene or exert pressure”.
She alleged that Badane once entered the emergency ward, sat on a chair, and threatened her, while her complaints to senior doctors, including Dr Dhumal, went unheeded. The doctor also wrote that she was being targeted due to her Beed connection and warned that “if anything happens to me, the police will be responsible”.
Dhumal on his part denied the allegations. “We have not received any formal complaint in which the female doctor has accused police officials of harassing her. She had only put it before the probe committee and she was later instructed based on the outcome of the report.”
A senior Satara police officer, however, said that the deceased doctor was “reluctant to conduct pre-arrest medical examinations at night” and frequently declared accused unfit “without sufficient grounds”, forcing police to keep security personnel stationed at the hospital. “This disrupted the arrest and custodial process,” the officer said.
Police maintained that the doctor should have been available round-the-clock to conduct medical formalities and issue fitness certificates, and that her refusal prompted them to approach the health department for her replacement.
Dr Yuvraj Karpe, civil surgeon of Satara, confirmed that both sides had filed complaints. “Yes, there were allegations by the police, so a two-member committee was formed. After hearing both parties in August 2025, we reminded the doctor that medical officers must be available 24x7. We noticed a drastic change in her behaviour thereafter,” he said.
Senior officials confirmed that both the doctor’s letters and the police complaints are being re-examined as part of the ongoing investigation into her death.