Mumbai: A day after the tragic suicide of a 28-year-old government doctor in Satara district, Maharashtra, police on Friday made a key arrest in connection with the case that has sparked outrage across the state.
The Phaltan police have arrested Prashant Bankar, a software engineer and son of the doctor’s landlord, who was named in her suicide note for alleged mental harassment. A police sub-inspector, Gopal Badane, accused of repeated rape in the same note, has been suspended and is currently under detention for questioning, officials confirmed.
Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde has promised “stringent action” against those found responsible for the suicide of a woman government doctor. The BJP-led Mahayuti government is facing sharp attack from the Opposition over the case.
#WATCH | Delhi | On Satara woman doctor’s death allegedly by suicide, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde says, “It is a very unfortunate incident. I have spoken to the local SP. The accused is a police official. FIR has been lodged in the incident. I have asked the SP to take… pic.twitter.com/O9ENMJMsaa
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2025
“It is a very unfortunate incident,” Shinde told reporters in Delhi. He said he had spoken to the local superintendent of police (SP). “I have asked the SP to take stringent action in this case,” he said, as ANI reported.
The arrests follow the recovery of a four-page suicide letter and a message scrawled on the doctor’s palm, in which she accused Badane of sexually assaulting her multiple times and Bankar of continuous intimidation. She also alleged that she was pressured to issue fake medical fitness certificates for accused persons in police cases — a claim that has sent shockwaves through the medical and administrative community.
According to investigators, the doctor had submitted as many as 21 complaints over the past several months, but no substantial action was taken. In her note, she also claimed that a Member of Parliament and his aides had threatened her for resisting the alleged illegal demands, warning her that “medical reports could be falsified” if she spoke up.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has termed the incident “deeply unfortunate” and instructed the Satara Superintendent of Police to ensure stringent action. “I have directed that no one responsible for her suffering should be spared,” Shinde said on Friday.
As the probe widens, police sources said that investigators are now examining digital evidence, including the doctor’s phone and laptop, to corroborate the allegations mentioned in her letter. The authorities are also verifying the authenticity of her earlier written complaints and the extent of official inaction.
Meanwhile, the Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has strongly condemned the incident, demanding that the investigation be handed over to the CID and warning of a statewide protest if justice is delayed. “This is not just about one doctor — this is about institutional accountability and the safety of all medical professionals,” a MARD spokesperson said.
Police officials in Satara admitted that the case has exposed serious lapses. “Had timely action been taken on her earlier complaints, this tragedy might have been prevented,” one senior officer told The Times of India.
