The tragic death of a 29-year-old woman doctor from Satara has shaken Maharashtra, exposing a web of harassment and alleged abuse of power. The doctor, found dead in her hotel room in Phaltan, left behind a suicide note written on her hand naming two men – Prashant Bankar, her former partner and Gopal Badane, a police officer – as responsible for her suffering.
Police have arrested sub-inspector Gopal Badane, who surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station in Satara on Saturday evening. Earlier that morning, a team from the Phaltan police had arrested software engineer Prashant Bankar.
Who are the suspects?
Prashant Bankar
Prashant Bankar, a software engineer and the son of the doctor’s landlord, is one of the two suspects arrested in the suicide case. Police said that Bankar and the doctor were in a relationship for several months. Their relationship reportedly turned bitter in recent weeks, leading to frequent fights. According to investigators, the doctor’s suicide note, written on her hand, accused Bankar of mentally harassing her.
Police arrested him from a farmhouse near Pune on Friday night. Officers said that before her death, the doctor made multiple calls to Bankar, trying to contact him. Bankar’s sister said the two had reconnected recently when he fell sick with dengue and the doctor helped treat him. After his arrest, police confirmed that his father had allegedly asked the second suspect, a police officer, to “intervene” in the situation.
Gopal Badane
The second accused, police sub-inspector Gopal Badane, has been charged with sexual assault based on the same note written by the doctor. He surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station before being taken into custody. The doctor had earlier complained of harassment from local police officials, including Badane and even mentioned being pressured to alter medical and autopsy records in other cases.
Badane’s name surfaced after the doctor’s detailed complaints to senior authorities came to light. These complaints mentioned coercion from the police department and people linked to a Member of Parliament. Following the outrage, Satara SP Tushar Doshi confirmed that the concerned officers had been suspended while the investigation continued, according to multiple media reports.
Background and political angle of case
The doctor, posted at the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital, was found dead in her hotel room on Thursday. The matter took a political turn after opposition leaders claimed that a former BJP MP, Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar, had tried to pressure her through his aides. The MP has denied the allegations, calling them baseless.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the incident “deeply tragic” and promised strict action against all those responsible. The investigation now focuses on uncovering the extent of the suspects’ roles in the doctor’s death and verifying claims of political and police pressure.
