Maharashtra female doctor suicide: Father demands death penalty for daughter’s perpetrators

The 26-year-old doctor, who was employed at a government hospital in Phaltan, was found hanging on Thursday.

She had written a suicide note in Marathi on her palm.

In the note, she accused police sub-inspector Gopal Badane of allegedly raping her four times, and a software engineer, Prashant Bankar, of mentally harassing her for over five months.

Making a direct appeal for justice to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he said, "My only demand is that the culprits should be punished with death by hanging. That's all. There is nothing else. This is my demand."

"This happened to my daughter. But at least from now on, such atrocities should not happen to other daughters. So, the people who do this should definitely be punished with the death penalty," he added.

"While the injustice was happening, everyone just stood and watched. There were Duryodhana and Dushasana there, but not a single Krishna came forward to help my daughter.

"So, for the sake of the daughters in the future, at least one Krishna should come forward and protect her honour," the father of the deceased said in his emotional plea, citing characters from epic Mahabharata to highlight the wickedness of the perpetrators of his daughter and the failure of the social and administrative structures.

The victim's brother has also sought the severest possible punishment for the accused.

Devendra Fadnavis has vowed that all those involved in the case, “directly or indirectly,” will face action.

“The doctor dying by suicide and writing such a letter on her hand shows the pain she went through. Yesterday, we suspended the officer involved. We have initiated an investigation, and no one will be spared. The Opposition is politicising it. Even if someone is involved directly or indirectly, they won't be spared,” he said.

According to media reports, the doctor had repeatedly approached the authorities about the harassment she faced, but her complaints were ignored.

A relative of the deceased doctor has claimed that she had writing a letter to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), reporting her ordeal but no action was taken, according to NDTV.

Four-page suicide note

The doctor has also left a four-page suicide note detailing her allegations against the police and a Member of Parliament and his aides.

In the note, she has accused the police officials of coercion, and alleged that an MP forced her to issue fake fitness certificates for criminal suspects.

When she refused, she said she was harassed and threatened.

She mentioned one incident where the MP personally spoke to her and issued indirect threats after she declined to issue a certificate.

Past allegation against deceased doctor

The doctor had previously faced accusations of obstructing investigations.

Last month, the police had forwarded a complaint to the district surgeon describing her as “troublesome” and “uncooperative.”

Dated September 22, the complaint alleged that she delayed the medical examination of suspects in serious crimes, potentially allowing them to evade legal scrutiny.

In her note, the doctor reiterated that she was being forced to issue false fitness certificates for accused individuals, many of whom were never produced for examination.

She alleged that she was harassed by Badne and others whenever she refused.

One accused arrested

Prashant Bankar was arrested in Pune this morning, about 125 km from Satara, on charges of abetment of suicide.

He was produced before a Satara district court, which remanded him in police custody for four days.

Sub-inspector Badane, who is accused of raping the doctor, has been suspended but not yet arrested.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve criticised Fadnavis, who also serves as the state’s Home Minister, over the doctor’s suicide and the involvement of a police officer in the case.