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Satara doctor dies by suicide, accuses cop of rape; two booked
According to police, the victim was posted as a medical officer in a government hospital in Satara’s Phaltan area on a contractual basis.
A 29-year-old doctor at a Maharashtra government-run hospital has died by suicide, accusing a sub-inspector of raping her multiple times and another man of mentally and physically harassing her over the past four to five months in Satara district, police said on Friday, adding that both the accused have been booked and the police officer has been suspended.
According to police, the victim 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.
A note written on her palm in Marathi had alleged that Phaltan City police station sub-inspector Gopal Badane had raped her four times, and that her landlord’s son Prashant Bankar physically and mentally harassed her for five months. HT has seen the note.
An officer part of the probe said investigation has revealed that the victim and suspended PSI are from Beed and relatives.
“Based on the complaint lodged by the victim’s family, we have registered an FIR against PSI Badane and Prashant Bankar on charges of rape and abetment to suicide,” said Satara superintendent of police Tushar Doshi, adding that the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Special IGP (Kolhapur) Sunil Phulari said, “We have formed two special teams and search is on for the absconding accused. PSI involved in this case has been suspended.”
A cousin of the deceased doctor 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,” he alleged. 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, denied all the allegations, and said “a complaint was received from her in June but which was related to a different thing”.
Another police officer aware of the matter told news agency PTI that the victim had called Bankar, who works in Pune, over phone before ending her life, and the two had also exchanged chat messages on mobile phone.
Taking cognisance of the case, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed Doshi to take strict action against the accused and initiate departmental proceedings against any police personnel found involved in the case.
Dr Yuvraj Karpe, the Civil Surgeon of Satara, stated that the Deputy Director of Health, Pune, will form a three-member committee to conduct an internal inquiry into the incident.
NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has, meanwhile, sought an Action Taken Report from the police within five days.
