Maharashtra doctor's death: Suspect arrested over alleged rape, palm-note claims

Police on Saturday arrested a software engineer in connection with the death of a 28-year-old doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district. Prashant Bankar, identified as the son of the house owner where she resided, was detained in Pune and later produced before the Satara district court, which remanded him to police custody for four days. The doctor, from Beed district and posted at a government hospital in Phaltan, was found dead in a hotel room there on the night of October 23. In a note written on her palm, she alleged that police sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Bankar allegedly mentally harassed her.

Police have registered a case of rape and abetment of suicide against the two men. Badane has been suspended; he has not yet been arrested. The doctor’s cremation took place in Beed’s Wadwani tehsil on October 24 night. Relatives described alleged harassment and claimed she faced pressure to alter medical reports at the sub-district hospital where she worked. They also alleged political figures in Phaltan pressed her in the past to influence reports. The case has triggered calls from Maharashtra leaders for a SIT and an independent inquiry into the death and handling of harassment complaints.

Community reaction has been one of shock and a demand for accountability as investigators continue to probe the palm-note claim and gather evidence. The investigation remains ongoing, with prosecutors seeking full clarity on the roles of both accused and whether any systemic failings contributed to the tragedy.

Cover image source: Satara doctor dies by suicide, accuses cop of rape; two booked 🔗

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