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Big questions remain in Maharashtra govt doc suicide, deputy CM Shinde promises action
“It is a very unfortunate incident. I have spoken to the local SP,” said Shinde to reporters in Delhi
Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde promised “stringent action” against those found responsible for the suicide of a woman government doctor in Satara district as the BJP-led Mahayuti government faces shar attack from the Opposition over the case.
“It is a very unfortunate incident,” Shinde told reporters in Delhi. He said he had spoken to the local superintendent of police (SP). "I have asked the SP to take stringent action in this case," he said, as per news agency ANI.
Relatives of the doctor, who died by suicide allegedly after rape and harassment, have demanded death penalty for the two men named by her in a note, including a cop.
What happened in the case so far
- The 29-year-old physician, posted at a sub-district hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town of the western Maharashtra district on Thursday.
- In a note on her palm, she accused a police sub-inspector (PSI) of rape and a software engineer, who was her landlord's son, of mental harassment.
- The engineer was arrested from Pune on Saturday, police said.
Questions that remain
Amid investigation in the case, reports have surfaced of the deceased also leaving behind a four-page suicide letter. In the purported 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 bit, but this was cited also by some political leaders.
What her relatives have alleged, demanded
Relatives of the doctor have said she complained multiple times about harassment, but her grievances were not addressed.
One of her relatives, also a doctor, told a news channel: "Police told us about the incident (suicide) and we went to the hospital (where the body was brought). Being a doctor, I told them I will remain present for the autopsy. That time I saw the suicide note on her palm and conveyed this to police. I suggested that forensic experts should do the autopsy."
Another relative said the woman was pressured to change medical reports at the hospital where she worked. "She had complained multiple times against the (policeman named in the note), but her complaints were not looked into. A medical officer tortured the lady doctor. He used to assign her autopsy duty repeatedly," the relative claimed.
"Just apprehending the accused is not enough. They should be hanged to ensure justice to the doctor and her family," emphasised the relative.
"If justice is not done, how will other professional women do their duty without fear or pressure. What example we are presenting before people. How will women pursue education under such circumstances?" asked the relative, as per news agency PTI.
The deceased was from Wadvani taluka of Beed district in the Marathwada region and was posted in Phaltan.
'Need security, not just Ladki Bahin scheme'
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve hit out at CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, over the doctor's suicide and the name of a police officer cropping up in the case.
"There is a need for women's security more than that of 'Ladki Bahin' (a financial scheme for women from low income families). If people who flourished under the wings of Fadnavis are harassing women in such a manner, then Fadnavis has failed as the Home Minister and should resign," Danve wrote on X.
The former Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council posted an RTI application and a handwritten compliant of the doctor on the social media platform and asked what action Fadnavis is going to take in both matters.
Danve also asked about the identity of two PAs who, he claimed, connected the doctor to an MP over phone. "What action did the dean or superintendent (of the hospital) take on the lady doctor's complaint?" he sought to know. In another post, Danve appealed to National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar to intervene in the case.
‘BJP emotionally bankrupt, had it taken place in…’
Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP from the party, mentioned two cases together — the suicide of the woman doctor in Satara and the murder of a 24-year-old woman by her ex-boyfriend in Mumbai.
"Devendra Fadnavis has not paid attention to the law and order situation or women's safety in the state. His focus is on doing politics with the Opposition and using the police machinery against them," he alleged.
West Bengals' ruling Trinamool Congress slammed the BJP for its relative “silence” over the Satara case, and called the party “emotionally bankrupt”. TMC national spokesperson Shashi Panja, who is a minister in Mamata Banerjee's government, said “all hell would have broken loose” had such an incident happened in Bengal.
