- A woman doctor in Satara allegedly died by suicide after being raped four times by a police sub-inspector
- The doctor had accused Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne and other officers of harassment in a letter in June
- Badne has been suspended on the orders of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
A woman doctor, who was reportedly raped four times in five months by a police sub-inspector (SI), died by suicide at a district hospital in Maharashtra's Satara on Thursday night.
In a note written on her left palm, the victim accused SI Gopal Badne of physical and mental abuse, and said his constant harassment forced her to take her own life. Badne has now been suspended. In the note, she also accused police officer Prashant Bankar of mental harassment.
"Police inspector Gopal Badne is the reason I died. He raped me four times. He subjected me to rape, mental and physical abuse for more than five months," the note said.
The doctor, who was working as a medical officer at Phaltan sub-district hospital, had raised similar allegations in a letter addressed to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Sub-Divisional Office, Phaltan, on June 19.
In her letter to the DSP months before her suicide, the woman doctor accused two police officers of Phaltan Rural Police Department of harassment and sought legal action against them.
She named Badne, Sub-Divisional Police Inspector Patil and Assistant Police Inspector Ladputre in the letter. She said she was "under extreme stress, hence, requested that the serious matter be investigated and appropriate action be taken against the guilty officers".
Sources said Badne was suspended on the orders of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The suicide that took place on Thursday night triggered a political row in the state on Friday.
State Congress leader Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar hit out at the ruling Mahayuti government over the suicide note.
"When the protector becomes the predator! The duty of the police is to protect, but if they themselves are exploiting a female doctor, how will justice be served? Why was no action taken when this girl had previously lodged a complaint? The Mahayuti government repeatedly shields the police, which is leading to an increase in police atrocities," he said in a post on X.
"Merely ordering an inquiry in this case is not enough. These police officers should be sacked from their jobs, otherwise, they could exert pressure on the investigation. Why was her earlier complaint not taken seriously? Those who ignored it and those who shielded these police officers should face action. Until action is taken against the police, police atrocities will not be curbed," he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is a part of the ruling Mahayuti, assured of a thorough probe into the doctor's suicide.
"The incident is unfortunate, I have spoken to Satara Superintendent of Police. The process to register a First Information Report is underway. One of the accused is outside Satara and a team has been formed to arrest him.. soon the accused will be arrested," BJP Member of Legislative Council and State Women President Chitra Wagh said.
"It has also come to our notice that the doctor had raised a complaint but no action was taken. Everything will be investigated in the case... I want to appeal to all women that there is no need to take such an extreme step... Our government is ready to help. The 112 helpline should be used to register such complaints and action will be taken," she added.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is also a part of the ruling alliance along with the Shiv Sena, also called for strict action against the accused.
"It is an unfortunate incident. Teams have been sent to arrest the accused. Strictest action should be taken as there is zero tolerance policy towards atrocities against women," NCP leader Anand Paranjape said.
The Maharashtra State Commission for Women also took note of the incident and said it has directed the police to probe the alleged inaction into the doctor's complaint.
"The body of the deceased doctor has been sent to the hospital for autopsy. The commission has instructed the Superintendent of Police, Satara, to urgently search for the absconding accused and conduct a thorough investigation of the entire case," it said in a series of post on X.
"The commission has instructed the police to investigate why the victimised woman did not receive help despite previously complaining about the harassment she faced and to take strict action against those responsible," it added.
