Phaltan doctor’s suicide note accuses police of sexual assault, sparks outrage

The tragic suicide of a female doctor on Thursday from Phaltanrsquos subdistrict hospital in Satara has sparked outrage after her note revealed repeated complaints of physical and mental harassment that went unaddressedThe doctor left a brief suicide note written on her hand in which she accused two police officers of raping and sexually assaulting herAccording to reports she accused Police Inspector Gopal Badne of sexually assaulting her four times and Police Officer Prashant Bankar of subjecting her to continuous mental harassment The revelation has sparked outrage within both the police and health departmentsFor several months the doctor had been entangled in disputes involving both the police and the health department The conflict reportedly began after a disagreement over a medical examination leading to an internal inquiry against her During this period she had also submitted a written complaint to her superiors stating ldquoI am being treated unfairly I will commit suiciderdquoHer colleagues claim that despite these warnings the authorities failed to take any concrete actionPolice said a detailed probe is underwayNationalist Congress Party SP MP Supriya Sule has demanded that the Chief Minister order an investigation into the incident and ensure strict action against those found guilty hellipmdash Supriya Sule supriya_sule October 24 2025Satara Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai said that the official details from the authorities are still awaited He confirmed having spoken to the Superintendent of Police and directed them to visit the sceneldquoIf a suicide note or any such evidence has been found it is deeply unfortunaterdquo he stated assuring that a detailed probe will be carried out Desai added that the deceasedrsquos family will be contacted to verify any suspicions and anyone found guilty will face strict action without exceptionPalghar Woman loses baby during delivery family alleges no doctor present authorities deny negligenceA family in Maharashtrarsquos Palghar district has alleged that a 25yearold woman lost her baby during delivery at a government hospital due to the absence of a doctor for several hours The hospital authorities however have denied any negligenceAccording to the husband of Vaishali Ashok Batre she was admitted to Mokhada Rural Hospital on the morning of October 22 for delivery He claimed that no doctor was available for almost 12 hours and that only a nurse was on duty throughout the critical period The family alleged that the lack of timely medical attention led to the newbornrsquos death during childbirthThe family further stated that the hospital later referred the tribal woman and her deceased baby to the Khodala Primary Health CentreResponding to the allegations Taluka Medical Officer Dr Bhausaheb Chattar rejected claims of negligence He said that a doctor was on duty but had been attending to an emergency snakebite case at the time of deliveryldquoWhen the baby did not cry immediately after birth the doctor rushed to the ward but found the infant unresponsiverdquo Dr Chattar told PTICiting preliminary findings he added that the baby may have suffered from a congenital condition and maintained that there was no negligence by the medical team He also stated that the hospital had sufficient backup staff available at the time