A 4-page suicide note written by Satara Doctor reveals new details about rape, harassment, and threat from MP
Startling information has surfaced in the case as the investigation into the death of a doctor from Maharashtra who claimed that a police officer had raped her many times deepens.
The 26-year-old doctor’s four-page suicide letter also names a Member of Parliament (MP) whom she said had indirectly threatened her after she denied giving a fake medical certificate.
In her suicide note, the doctor, who had committed herself in the Satara region of Maharashtra, said that she had been under pressure to provide fictitious fitness certifications for suspects in criminal cases. The letter describes the alleged harassment and coercion she experienced from police officers, as well as from an MP and his personal staff in one case.
The physician was employed at the Phaltan sub-district hospital as a medical officer. She had written on her palm that Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne had raped her four times and had abused her physically and mentally for almost five months. She was just one month away from fulfilling her required rural service bond, which would allow her to continue postgraduate medical education. She had been working at the hospital for 23 months.
According to the young doctor’s letter, she was under constant pressure from police to provide fitness certifications for suspected people who were never taken in for a medical check. Badne and others reportedly harassed her when she didn’t cooperate.
She described an instance in which two MPs’ personal aides showed up at the hospital and forced her to talk to him on the phone after she denied giving a fake certificate. She said that the MP had indirectly threatened her.
Her relative had previously said that she had been under pressure to fabricate medical certifications. She had voiced her displeasure two or three times. He told NDTV on Friday that no action was done after sending a letter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and the Superintendent of Police (SP).
She inquired in the letter who would be in charge if anything were to happen to her. She also brought attention to the premises’ lack of security, but nothing was done. She also phoned the DSP, who promised to give her a call back, but nobody did anything about it,” he said.
Additionally, harassment from her landlord, Prashant Bankar, was noted in the letter
After she passed away, Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne and Bankar were charged with rape and aiding and abetting suicide. The police officer in question has also been suspended.
“Based on the evidence that has been obtained so far, we are looking into the situation. A lawsuit has been filed in the district of Satara. Inspector General of Police (Kolhapur division) Sunil Phulari informed news agency PTI that the police officer implicated in the case has been suspended.
A Political Uproar
The Congress party has accused the BJP-led state government of protecting corrupt police officers in the wake of the doctor’s murder, which has caused a political uproar.
“When the predator turns into the protector! The police have a responsibility to protect, but how can justice be carried out if they are abusing a female doctor? This girl has previously complained, so why was nothing done about it? “A rise in police atrocities is being caused by the Mahayuti government’s constant protection of the police,” Congress lawmaker Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar said in a post on X.
Chitra Wagh, a BJP politician, responded to the criticism by promising a thorough investigation
“I have talked with the Satara Superintendent of Police, and the occurrence is regrettable. We’ve learned that the doctor complained, but nothing was done about it. The matter will be probed in its entirety. I would want to urge all ladies that such drastic measures are unnecessary. The government is prepared to assist. Such complaints should be filed via the 112 hotline, and Wagh said that action will be done.