Family members allege repeated complaints by the victim were ignored and demand the death penalty for the accused, citing systemic failure and political pressure.
BY PC Bureau
October 26, 2025– In a major development in the alleged suicide case of a 26-year-old government doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district, two key accused have been taken into custody. Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Gopal Badane surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station on Saturday evening, hours after software engineer Prashant Bankar was arrested from Pune.
The arrests came amid mounting public outrage and the family’s demand for the death penalty for both accused.
The young doctor, a native of Beed district in the Marathwada region and posted at a government hospital in Satara, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan on Thursday night, October 23. In a chilling revelation, she reportedly wrote a suicide note on her palm, accusing PSI Badane of raping her multiple times and Bankar, the son of her landlord, of subjecting her to mental harassment.
Cop Accused Of Raping Maharashtra Doctor Who Died By Suicide ArrestedEarlier in the morning, a team from the Phaltan police arrested software engineer Prashant Bankar, one of the two men the doctor had named in her suicide note, from Pune. pic.twitter.com/D4u9bB3kYu
— Shaikh Saleem (@SaleemWPI) October 26, 2025
Arrests and Legal Proceedings
On Saturday morning, a Phaltan police team arrested Prashant Bankar in Pune. He has been charged under Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide. Bankar was produced before a Satara district court, which remanded him to four days of police custody.
Later that evening, PSI Badane, who had been absconding, surrendered before authorities. He faces charges of rape under Section 64 of the BNS and abetment of suicide, and has been suspended from service pending investigation, confirmed Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi.
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Family’s Allegations and Demands
The doctor’s family has accused authorities of ignoring her repeated complaints of harassment and pressure.
“She was under immense pressure from powerful people. She had complained against the PSI multiple times, but no action was taken,” a relative told a TV channel.
They also alleged that the doctor was frequently assigned autopsy duties at the sub-district hospital and pressured by political figures to alter medical reports, which she refused to do.
The victim was cremated on Friday night in her hometown in Wadwani tehsil of Beed district. Her grieving family reiterated their demand for capital punishment for the accused.
“She was a hardworking doctor with dreams of pursuing an MD in medicine or ENT. Her voice was silenced,” her uncle said, adding that she was still repaying a ₹3 lakh education loan for her MBBS studies. Her father, a farmer, had supported her education despite financial hardship.
The case has triggered political tremors, with BJP MLA Suresh Dhas demanding that an unnamed Member of Parliament (MP) accused of trying to influence the doctor also be made an accused. While Dhas did not identify the MP, his remarks have intensified calls for a wider probe into the external pressures the victim may have faced.
Ongoing Investigation
The Phaltan police continue to investigate allegations of rape, harassment, and political interference. Authorities are reviewing whether the victim’s previous complaints were acted upon and if lapses by officials contributed to her death.
The case has drawn widespread attention on social media platforms like X, with users expressing anger and demanding swift justice.
The tragedy has underscored deep-rooted concerns about workplace harassment, systemic negligence, and the vulnerability of women in public service. As the family’s call for justice gains momentum, police have assured a comprehensive and transparent probe, keeping the case under close scrutiny.
