The tragic suicide of a 28-year-old government doctor in Maharashtra's Satara district has spiraled into a web of explosive allegations, including a fabricated postmortem report, procedural lapses, and even the possibility of a hidden second suicide note. The victim, a medical officer at Phaltan sub-district hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room late Thursday night, October 23, with a Marathi note scrawled on her palm accusing sub-inspector Gopal Badane of raping her four times and software engineer Prashant Bankar of five months of mental and physical harassment. A separate four-page letter implicated a former MP's aides in pressuring her to issue false fitness certificates for accused individuals, including in a gold robbery case.

The doctor's cousin has now raised alarms over investigative irregularities, claiming her body was transported from the hotel to the hospital without family presence, and no postmortem occurred until 6 AM the next day. "This violated protocol; everything should happen in front of relatives," he told ANI, adding suspicions of a second note left behind at the scene. "She fought relentlessly with four-page complaints; she wouldn't end it with just a palm scribble." Relatives allege she endured a year of political and police coercion to alter autopsy reports and forge certificates, despite multiple ignored complaints to superiors. "Medical staff were complicit; she was overburdened with postmortems while others idled," the cousin stated.

In a stunning fresh twist, Bhagyashree Maruti Pachangne, mother of Deepali Maruti—a six-month pregnant woman who died on August 19—claims the deceased doctor signed a falsified postmortem declaring her daughter's death a suicide, despite evidence of murder. Deepali, married to Indian Army officer Ajinkya Hanmant Nimbalkar, allegedly suffered relentless abuse from her husband and in-laws. "We got a call August 17 saying she was critical at Raut Hospital; we rushed, assuming pregnancy complications. Instead, her brother-in-law said she hanged herself—I doubt it," Pachangne recounted. "A mother of an 18-month-old and unborn child wouldn't abandon them. Strangulation marks scream murder, but the delayed report—five days late, fabricated after a month—hid it. Nimbalkar used connections to bury the truth."

Also Read: Hyderabad Mother Kills Twin Toddlers, Jumps to Death Amid Family Strife

Police counter that the doctor was uncooperative, often deeming arrested persons "unfit" without basis and refusing night-time examinations, leading to replacement requests filed with the Satara Civil Surgeon in July. She had written to the SDPO in June naming Badane among harassers and filed an RTI on August 13 seeking action updates. Badane surrendered Saturday evening after a manhunt, while Bankar—whose family claims the note stemmed from a spurned marriage proposal—was arrested in Pune and remanded to four-day custody until October 28. Both face rape and abetment charges; Badane was suspended on CM Devendra Fadnavis's orders.

The case has ignited a political firestorm. Fadnavis cleared former BJP MP Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar and MLA Sachin Patil of involvement Sunday, prompting Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Ambadas Danve to retort, "Is the CM investigator now? Preempting probes shields the guilty." The victim's father demanded the death penalty for the accused, while relatives called for exemplary punishment. Nationwide protests erupted outside Phaltan police station, with women's groups and NCP (SP) alleging a nexus of police, politicians, and medics victimizing whistleblowers. Maharashtra Health Minister Meghna Bordikar noted no prior harassment reports from the doctor, but opposition leaders like Vijay Wadettiwar slammed the Mahayuti government's inaction. Satara SP Tushar Doshi assured a thorough probe, including forensic re-examination of viscera and CCTV from the hotel and Nimbalkar residence. As demands for a CBI inquiry grow, this saga exposes deep fissures in rural Maharashtra's justice system.

Also Read: Mother Delivers Child at Ambala Railway Station, Both Safe Thanks to Quick Railway Rescue