New Delhi, Oct 25: Police in Maharashtra’s Satara district arrested one accused on Saturday in connection with the death of a female doctor who allegedly committed suicide after being repeatedly raped by a police officer and being pressurised by an MP to falsify medical reports of accused in cases.

According to officials, the arrested person has been identified as Prashant Bankar, the son of the doctor’s landlord whose name was mentioned in her four-page suicide note.

The deceased doctor, a native of Beed district, was posted as a medical officer at a government hospital in Phaltan, Satara. On Thursday night, she was found hanging in a hotel room under mysterious circumstances. Shockingly, she had written a suicide note on her palm, naming Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and Prashant Bankar, accusing the police officer of rape and Prashant of mental harassment.

After Prashant’s arrest, police said he will be produced before the court and his custody will be sought for further investigation. Meanwhile, Sub-Inspector Badane has been suspended, and a detailed enquiry is underway. Both accused have been booked at the Phaltan Police Station. Satara SP Tushar Doshi confirmed that the rape allegations and Prashant’s role are being thoroughly investigated.

The female doctor who allegedly committed suicide left behind a detailed four-page suicide note apart from the inked note on the palm of her hand, stating that a police officer raped her four times and exerted pressure on her to issue fake fitness certificates for accused persons in police cases. It has now emerged in her note that she was allegedly under pressure not only from police officials but also from a Member of Parliament (MP) and his personal assistants.

The woman doctor, who worked as a medical officer at the Phaltan sub-district hospital, wrote on her palm that she had been raped four times by Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and subjected to mental and physical abuse for over five months.

Originally from Beed district, the doctor had been working at the hospital for 23 months.

Gopal Badane is a police officer, while Prashant Bankar is the son of the landlord in the house where the doctor lived.

She had complained 21 times to various authorities, but no action was taken against her tormentors.

Recounting a particular instance in her note, the doctor said she had refused to issue a certificate and two personal assistants of an MP had come to the hospital and made her speak to him over the phone. She stated in her note that during that conversation, the MP had threatened her indirectly.

Her cousin also made similar allegations about the doctor being made to falsify medical certificates.

Mumbai, October 25: The resident doctors at Mumbai’s KEM Hospital on October 25 are holding black ribbon protest over the allege rape and suicide of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district. The doctor, hailing from Beed district and posted at a government hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan of Satara district on Thursday night

In the suicide note written on the victims’ palm, she had alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her.

Calling the incident a heinous act, a resident doctor told media that currently any kind of OPD or emergency services have not been stopped, but if our demands are not met, then we may escalate our protest. “The accused have fled; they should be arrested as soon as possible. We are holding a black ribbon protest here to protest against it,” Dr Sameer said.

Resident doctors under the banner of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), staged protests at KEM Hospital.

A first-year resident Dr. Samya said that although the POSH Act was implemented in 2013, its enforcement remains weak, and the lack of proper implementation has led to the current situation. Adding further, she told the agency, “We want action to be taken in this matter as quickly as possible so that justice is delivered quickly… Currently, we are protesting to spread awareness; all our OPD and emergency services are working. However, if our demands are not met, then we will escalate our protest”

Another resident doctor holding the black ribbon protest said, “We have made some demands in response to the incident, and we hope they will be met as soon as possible.”

More than 8,000 resident doctors across the state participated in the protest, demanding justice and a thorough investigation into the case by either the CID or a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The police have detained Prashant Bankar, one of the two men the doctor had named in the suicide note written on her palm. According to the police, sub-inspector Badane was suspended from service after his name came up during the probe.

In her letter, she wrote that Badne and other police officials had repeatedly pressured her to issue fake fitness certificates for accused persons in criminal cases, many of whom were never medically examined.

Not just this, in one particularly disturbing instance, she said that two personal assistants of a Member of Parliament barged into her hospital, forced her to speak to the MP over the phone, and was also threatened when she refused to comply.

“They used to make me sign certificates without seeing the accused. When I refused, they threatened my job and safety,” the letter alleged.

The doctor, who was nearing the end of her mandatory rural bond service and planned to pursue post-graduation, had also complained to senior police officials, including the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Police. However, her family claimed that no action was taken despite multiple complaints.

Buxar, Oct 25: Former IPS officer and BJP candidate from the Buxar Sadar seat, Anand Mishra, on Saturday expressed confidence in winning the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that the people of the state now recognise the NDA’s commitment to welfare and development.

His remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Mahagathbandhan during a massive rally in Siwan, accusing them of trying to revive the “jungle raj” era in Bihar.

Speaking to reporters, Mishra said, “You must have understood by now that our BJP and the NDA genuinely want the welfare and progress of Bihar. They wish to promote the right candidates — those who can unite society, uphold the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,’ and work towards building a Viksit Bharat with a Viksit Bihar and Viksit Buxar.”

Describing the public’s response to Amit Shah’s rally in Buxar, Mishra said, “Home Minister Amit Shah received a warm welcome in Buxar, and the crowd’s continuous response to his every word reflected their faith in the Indian government. Everyone who came there resolved that for the future of a better Buxar and a better Bihar, we will move ahead with a determined spirit to build a golden Bihar.”

Taking aim at the dynastic politics, he said, “If you look at the past, many times politics was used only to serve personal or family interests. But today, Bihar is awakened — it has given direction to the country’s politics. This time, Bihar is determined not to give any opportunity to those who would harm its progress for their selfish motives.”

BJP National Secretary Rituraj Sinha also backed Mishra’s confidence and said that the people of the state will give a “massive victory” to the NDA.

Speaking to media, Sinha said, “Whatever was lacking in the 2020 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the soil of Shahabad has now been fulfilled. The people have made up their minds to give the NDA a massive victory. The huge crowd and enthusiasm at Amit Shah’s rally in Buxar clearly showed that Shahabad will take the lead in ensuring the NDA’s return to power.”

“We have received tremendous support from the people of Buxar. Tomorrow, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will also visit the district. This time, the NDA will win all 22 seats of Shahabad,” he added.

The Bihar Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and 11 to elect 243 members. The counting of votes and the declaration of results will take place on November 14.