Maharashtra Woman Doctor Commits Suicide After Repeated Sexual Assault by Police Officer: Investigation Underway

Sub-inspector Gopal Badne has been suspended following serious allegations.

A female physician working at Maharashtra's Satara district hospital died by suicide on Thursday night after reportedly enduring sexual assault by a police sub-inspector multiple times over five months.

The victim left a suicide note written on her left palm, directly accusing SI Gopal Badne of raping her four times and subjecting her to continuous physical and mental abuse. She indicated that this persistent harassment drove her to take her own life. The note also mentioned police officer Prashant Bankar for mental harassment. Following these revelations, Badne has been suspended from duty.

"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 victim wrote in her final message.

The deceased, who served as a medical officer at Phaltan sub-district hospital, had previously filed a formal complaint regarding similar allegations. On June 19, she sent a letter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Sub-Divisional Office in Phaltan detailing her experiences.

In this earlier correspondence, she specifically named three officers from the Phaltan Rural Police Department: Badne, Sub-Divisional Police Inspector Patil, and Assistant Police Inspector Ladputre. She described experiencing "extreme stress" and formally requested an investigation into the matter with appropriate action against the officers involved.

Sources have indicated that Badne's suspension came directly from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The suicide, which occurred late Thursday night, quickly sparked political controversy across the state on Friday.

State Congress leader Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar criticized the ruling Mahayuti government regarding the incident, stating: "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 further emphasized, "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."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a member of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, assured the public of a comprehensive investigation 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," stated BJP Member of Legislative Council and State Women President Chitra Wagh.

She added, "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."

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), another member of the ruling alliance alongside the Shiv Sena, called for stringent action against those responsible.

"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," said NCP leader Anand Paranjape.

The Maharashtra State Commission for Women has also taken notice of the incident and directed police to investigate why the doctor's earlier complaints were not properly addressed.

"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," the commission stated on social media.

"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," the statement continued.