A doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district died by suicide in a Phaltan hotel after writing an alleged final message on her left palm that, according to her family, named a police officer and another man. The family has said the handwritten note in Hindi accused a police official of repeatedly raping her and another person of subjecting her to physical and mental harassment.
Relatives say the Satara doctor had been under intense pressure for about a year from both political and police circles to accept a false postmortem report. Her brother told media that he received calls allegedly from an MP’s personal assistant urging preparation of such reports, and that his sister had repeatedly complained about this coercion.
The family also says the doctor had filed complaint letters to the DSP and SP over the past two years and that records show movement of those submissions through police offices, but no substantive action was taken. Her brother said she tried to learn the status of her complaints before taking her own life, yet received no reply.
Local police have said they arrested a suspect named Prashant Banker in Pune after the incident, and that one accused is still absconding. Authorities presented the arrested man in court and obtained police custody remand until 28 October as investigations continue.
The case has caused unrest in the Satara district and prompted calls from the family for a fair and transparent probe. Officials say the investigation is ongoing as police examine the allegations written on the doctor’s palm and the family’s claims of pressure to fabricate postmortem findings.
