MUMBAI: Police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane, the main accused in the rape and harassment case linked to the suspected suicide of a lady doctor in Maharashtra, surrendered on his own at Phaltan rural police station on Saturday late at night.
The suspended PSI is the main accused in this case. He was on a run for the last 36 hours. His last location was traced at Pandharpur in Solapur district. He will be produced in the court today.
The Satara Police had on Saturday, early morning, arrested a techie, Prashant Bankar, the second accused. The Phaltan court granted the police custody of the accused till October 28.
Gopal Badane was on night duty at Phaltan police station when the rape and suicide of the doctor surfaced. Following a public outrage, Badane ran away and was absconding for the last 36 hours. It was alleged that the police were helping Badane to be in safe locations.
Following the incident and public outrage, Satara district police had formed two teams, one of which arrested Prashant Bankar from a friend’s farmhouse in Satara on Saturday morning.
A 26-year-old woman doctor in Phaltan, Satara district, Maharashtra, died by suicide after leaving a seven-line note on her palm. In it, she accused police sub-inspector Gopal Banade of repeatedly raping and sexually exploiting her, and alleged that her landlord’s son, Prashant Bankar, harassed and tortured her.
She stated that both mentally tortured her for four months. She also alleged in her earlier statement before an inquiry committee that she was pressurised to change medical reports and give fake fitness certificates.
Meanwhile, Bankar's family members refuted all allegations, claiming he is innocent and was framed in this case. They said they are confident that once the case is probed fairly, the truth will come out.
The suicide note stated that PSI Gopal Badane raped her four times. It also alleged that, besides being sexually assaulted by the police officer, she was pressured by powerful individuals, including an MP and his aides, to issue fake medical fitness certificates for the accused. She wrote that the harassment escalated when she refused to comply.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the incident "very painful." The doctor had to write on her palm before committing suicide; it is a shameful incident, he said.
He added that the government will not spare anyone, and all the guilty will be arrested and punished. "Oppositions should not play politics over this tragic issue. They should respect the sentiment," said Fadnavis.
Ambads Danve, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC and leader of the Opposition, state legislative council, sharing the complaint letter of the lady doctor on the social media platform X, said that the lady doctor has ended her life due to the failed and corrupt system. The letter shared by Danve revealed that despite repeatedly complaining to senior officers by the deceased lady doctor to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), no action was taken against the culprit.
He said that the lady doctor had complained several times about how she was harassed and tortured by being called and pressuring her to change postmortem reports and giving fake fitness certificates.
"The local Lok Sabha MP and BJP MLA are also harassing this lady doctor; therefore, the call records of this doctor and their conversation have to be probed to get the truth and facts of this case. The call records' details will reveal many things. But Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies are busy in politics and buying votes by distributing lollipops and chocolates. The ruling party beats drums about their Ladli Bahin scheme, but no sister is safe and secure in Maharashtra; this is the harsh reality of the state,” Danve alleged.
