The family of the doctor from Beed, who tragically ended her life in a Phaltan hotel room on October 23, 2025, has escalated their grief into a fierce call for accountability, demanding an immediate Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a fast-track trial in a Beed court. The doctor, who had been serving at a government hospital in Satara for two years, was discovered hanging in the lodge with a heartbreaking note scribbled on her palm, accusing suspended Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Gopal Badane of repeated sexual assaults and software engineer Prashant Bankar of relentless mental harassment. Both men were arrested on October 25, but the family's suspicions of foul play and institutional cover-up have ignited statewide outrage.

At a poignant press conference in Beed on Monday, relatives refused to travel to Phaltan for statements, citing fears of bias in the local investigation. "Form an SIT right away," pleaded one female relative, emphasizing the need to scrutinize the doctor's call detail records (CDRs) to validate her allegations. They revealed that prior complaints against Badane were dismissed by authorities, and questioned the PSI's suspiciously timed surrender—just a day before Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's visit to the area. "He must have destroyed evidence in the interim," she alleged, pointing to a pattern of pressure that allegedly forced the doctor to falsify medical reports during examinations of arrested individuals at her hospital.

Congress MP Rajani Patil, who met the grieving family, echoed their demands for an impartial inquiry, highlighting the doctor's harassment from officials in both the health and home departments. "This isn't just a suicide—it's institutionalized murder," Patil quoted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as saying, after briefing him on the case. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare amplified the doubts, questioning whether the death was truly self-inflicted or a homicide, and casting scrutiny on the authenticity of the handwriting in the palm note. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Phaltan branch joined the chorus, expressing profound sorrow and urging strict action against the guilty to prevent such tragedies in the medical fraternity.

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Contrasting the uproar, Maharashtra Women's Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar presented preliminary findings suggesting suicide by hanging, linked to a heated argument with Bankar at his home on Diwali eve, after which the doctor checked into the hotel. Call records reportedly show ongoing contact with Bankar up to the incident but none with Badane since March 2025. Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi confirmed the arrests and ongoing probe, with Badane remanded to police custody until October 30 and Bankar detained for four days. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed strict measures, including the PSI's suspension, amid cross-complaints resolved by the hospital's internal committee in July.

As the family vows to pursue justice relentlessly, this case has exposed deep fissures in Maharashtra's law enforcement and healthcare systems, drawing parallels to previous scandals of workplace abuse against women professionals. With public vigils and political pressure mounting, the demand for an SIT could force a reckoning, ensuring the doctor's final words are not silenced by procedural delays.

Also Read: Maharashtra Doctor Suicide Case: One Arrested, Main Accused Cop Still on the Run