A devastating case of alleged suicide by a female doctor in Maharashtra has ignited outrage, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi labeling it ‘institutional murder’ and demanding swift justice. The doctor was found hanging in a hotel room, an incident shrouded in mystery. The primary accused, Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane, surrendered to the police and has been arrested. He had been absconding since his suspension, facing grave accusations of repeated rape against the victim, which allegedly drove her to despair.
This marks the second arrest in connection with the tragedy. Earlier, Prashant Bankar, the landlord’s son, was apprehended. Bankar is accused of enduringly mentally harassing the doctor. Her suicide note and a message scrawled on her palm before her death implicated both Badane and Bankar.
Rahul Gandhi, speaking out on social media, condemned the abhorrent acts that led the doctor to such a desperate state. He highlighted her aspirations to heal others, tragically cut short by a ‘corrupt system’ and influential figures. Gandhi specifically pointed to alleged pressure from individuals linked to the BJP to falsify medical reports, describing the incident not as a suicide but as a ‘criminally protected ideology’ leading to ‘institutional murder.’ He pledged solidarity with the victim’s family and vowed to fight for justice for every Indian woman.
The deceased, a government medical officer from Beed district posted at Phaltan sub-district hospital, detailed in her suicide note a harrowing five-month ordeal of physical and mental torture. She accused Sub-Inspector Badane of four instances of rape and Bankar of incessant harassment. Disturbingly, the note also implicated a Member of Parliament (MP) and his aides for pressuring her to manipulate medical records for criminal defendants. Despite lodging 21 complaints previously, no substantial action was taken, her note revealed. She also described a terrifying phone threat from an MP after refusing to issue a false medical certificate.
Police have registered cases against both arrested individuals under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. A thorough investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the rape allegations, harassment, and the alleged involvement of political figures. Authorities are committed to a comprehensive inquiry into this deeply disturbing case.