In Maharashtra’s Satara district, a female doctor who tragically took her own life implicated a police officer in a case of alleged repeated rape. The doctor was reportedly coerced to manipulate medical records not only by law enforcement but also by a Member of Parliament.
The doctor’s relative previously disclosed that she faced ongoing pressure from the police to alter post-mortem reports for unnatural deaths and to modify reports when suspects were taken to the hospital for examinations upon arrest. It has emerged that when an accused person was brought to the hospital by Satara Police for a night-time medical assessment, the doctor, if on duty, occasionally deemed the individual “unfit” and admitted them despite their actual condition.
Following several instances of this behavior, the police lodged a complaint with the District Medical Council, which then questioned the doctor. In her response, the doctor revealed she had received a call from an unnamed MP who allegedly attempted to influence her to falsify the medical report. She detailed an incident where two aides of the MP visited the hospital, used abusive language, and pressured her to release the accused immediately, ultimately threatening her when she insisted on following proper medical procedures.
The doctor clarified that she admitted the accused based on the severity of their medical condition and refuted the police officers’ accusations of deliberately withholding the accused. She also alleged that a police sub-inspector engaged in verbal abuse and threats towards her within the hospital premises.
Family members of the doctor expressed concerns over the alleged pressures she faced to fabricate post-mortem reports and sought justice for her. The doctor had reportedly raised the issue with a senior police officer in June, but no actions were taken, and her complaints to higher authorities were allegedly disregarded.
In response to the doctor’s tragic death and rape allegations, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis vowed to take strict action against those responsible. He condemned the politicization of the issue by opposition parties and assured that the culprits would face justice. One of the accused, Prashant Bankar, has been remanded to police custody, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the absconding police sub-inspector implicated in the case.
The doctor, who hailed from Beed district and worked at a government hospital in Phaltan, was discovered deceased in a hotel room, leaving behind a suicide note on her palm detailing instances of rape and mental harassment by the police sub-inspector and another individual. The note led to the suspension of the sub-inspector and legal actions against both him and the techie accused of mental harassment. An investigation continues into the allegations mentioned in the doctor’s distressing note, with Bankar already in custody and efforts underway to locate the fleeing sub-inspector.