A tragic and unsettling incident has unfolded in Maharashtra’s Satara district. A 28-year-old woman working as a doctor at the Phaltan sub-district hospital was found dead in a hotel room late on Thursday, having died by suicide. In a chilling detail, she left a message on her palm alleging that a police sub-inspector, identified as Gopal Badne, had raped her multiple times over the past five months, while another accused — a local man Prashant Bankar — allegedly subjected her to sustained mental harassment.
The police registered a case under sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape and abetment to suicide, and have also invoked the more stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act given the nature of accusations against law-enforcement. While Bankar was arrested shortly after the incident, the sub-inspector remains at large. The medical officer’s note and the subsequent allegations have triggered strong outrage across the state.
Colleagues of the deceased said she had earlier reported harassment by police officials and resistance when asked to change medical reports under pressure. The state-wide doctors’ association has condemned the episode, demanding an immediate transfer of investigation to the CID and assurances of safety for health-care professionals working under duress. The strange confluence of authority abuse and institutional neglect highlighted by this case underlines ongoing concerns about workplace safety for women in public service. Authorities have pledged an impartial investigation, but many await accountability and systemic remedies.
