Maharashtra Police on Saturday said life of the woman doctor who died by suicide in Satara district earlier this week could have been saved had action been taken on time on the complaints of the deceased, who in a note on her palm named a police sub-inspector (PSI) and another man.
The 29-year-old woman was posted as a medical officer in a government hospital in Satara’s Phaltan area on a contractual basis, and was found hanging inside a hotel room in the town on Thursday night.
Amid investigation in the case, reports have surfaced of the deceased also leaving behind a four-page suicide letter. In the letter, she said she was pressured to issue fake fitness certificates of accused in police cases not only by police officials but even, in one case, by a member of Parliament along with two of his personal assistants, NDTV reported. HT.com could not independently verify this.
'Had she told…'
Satara Additional SP Vaishali Kaduskar said on Saturday that she is anguished and pained over the incident as a woman officer and added that the doctor could have been saved had action been taken on time or had she herself told someone about what she was going through.
{{/usCountry}}Satara Additional SP Vaishali Kaduskar said on Saturday that she is anguished and pained over the incident as a woman officer and added that the doctor could have been saved had action been taken on time or had she herself told someone about what she was going through.
{{/usCountry}}"If action had been taken on the complaint of that woman doctor in time... or if she herself had told someone about the atrocities being committed against her... then perhaps her life could have been saved today. As a female police officer, I anguished and pained over this incident," additional SP Vaishali Kaduskar, speaking to PTI news agency.
One person, who the deceased named in a note written on her palm in Marathi that HT has also seen, was arrested by the police on Saturday. The arrested, Prashant Bankar, was identified the deceased on her palm note as her landlord's son.
The note had alleged that Phaltan City police station sub-inspector (PSI) Gopal Badane had raped her four times, and that Prashant Bankar physically and mentally harassed her for five months.
‘Four-page letter’ surfaces
A four-page suicide letter purportedly left behind the doctor accused a member of Parliament (MP) and two of his personal assistants of pressuring her to issue fake fitness certificates of accused in police cases, NDTV reported.
The four-page letter alleged that she was harassed when she refused to bow to the pressures that was exerted by police officials as well.
The report mentioned that in the the four-page letter she stated that police officers pressured her into issuing fake fitness certificates for accused, many of whom would not even be brought in for a medical examination. When she refused, she would be harassed by Gopal Badne, who also named on her pal note, and others.
The letter cited an instance when she had refused to issue a certificate, after which two personal assistants of an MP walked into the hospital, dialed the politician and made her speak to him, the report said, adding that he had threatened her indirectly.
A cousin of the deceased doctor also alleged that the victim had been facing pressure from both police and political figures after she refused to issue “medically fit” certificates to certain arrested people.
“There was a lot of police and political pressure on her to make wrong post-mortem reports. She tried to complain about it to senior police officers but nothing happened. They were also pressuring my sister to prepare fit/unfit reports of the patients without bringing patients to the hospital,” an earlier HT report quoted him.
He further claimed that the deceased had lodged a complaint with the local Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in June-July, naming three police officials, including Badane.
A Satara police official, however, refuted the allegations, and said “a complaint was received from her in June but which was related to a different thing”.
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