The police on Saturday detained one person in connection with the alleged suicide of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra's Satara district, an official said.
The police have detained Prashant Bankar, one of the two men the doctor had named in the suicide note written on her palm, he said.
The 28-year-old doctor, originally hailing from Beed district in central Maharashtra, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town late on Thursday night, police said.
In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her.
According to the suicide note, she was allegedly harassed four times by Bankar, causing severe mental trauma.
Leaders from across party lines have demanded an independent inquiry and SIT probe into the alleged suicide of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra's Satara district.
Pointing out that if an educated professional felt compelled to take such an extreme step, the plight of ordinary women could be even more vulnerable, he said in a statement.
The Opposition Congress on Friday hit out at the Mahayuti government over the suicide.
The incident raises grave concerns about the safety of women when those entrusted with their protection reportedly turned perpetrators, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, referring to the policemen named by the deceased in her suicide note.
The incident clearly reflects a breakdown in law and order in the state, Sawant claimed.
"Authorities have been urged to ensure swift justice. There are demands for the accused to face the severest punishment and for the case to be fast-tracked in court to restore public confidence in the law enforcement system," the Congress spokesperson maintained.
While the Opposition targeted the Mahayuti government over the incident, state ministers said police will carry out an impartial and detailed investigation.
NCP leader Dhananjay Munde and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Friday separately demanded an independent investigation.
In a post on X, Dhananjay Munde, a former state minister, said that if the woman's superiors had ignored her complaints — as alleged — because she had a particular surname or she belonged to Beed district, it was a serious matter.
"The entire incident should be probed through an SIT and the trial should be conducted in a fast-track court," said the NCP leader from Beed, adding that he would be writing a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to put forth these demands.
Danve, a former leader of Opposition in the legislative council, also evoked the woman's Marathwada origins.
"The suicide of this daughter of Marathwada who rose in life by struggling since her birth shows that the protectors have turned predators," he said, adding that an independent inquiry committee of officials from outside Satara district should be appointed.
Taking cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the immediate suspension of the policemen named by the doctor in her suicide note.
Meanwhile, as per a purported reply submitted by the woman doctor to police authorities in Satara district after a subordinate police official complained about her, she faced threats from police officials over her way of working, and taunts over the crime in her home district of Beed.
A relative of the deceased doctor has claimed she often faced pressure from police to change post-mortem reports and also to modify medical test reports of arrested persons brought to the hospital.
Nitin Andhale, an activist, posted the woman doctor's purported statement given to an inquiry committee.
Accordingly, an MP once accused her, over the phone, of not providing a fitness certificate to an arrested person (which would have enabled police to seek his custody) because she belonged to Beed.
Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe said the doctor’s suicide was a matter of concern.
"This is a serious issue. I have written to CM Devendra Fadnavis, seeking stringent action against those involved," Gorhe said.
She said that Environment Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who hails from Satara district, has assured that there will be an impartial probe into the case.
Maharashtra cabinet minister Pankaja Munde, who hails from Beed district, said there should be no “media trial” in the incident.
“I am confident that CM Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, will ensure a thorough probe, including a detailed forensic investigation, in the case,” she said.
Minister of State for Health Meghna Bordikar said that she spoke to the Satara civil surgeon and was informed that the doctor had never complained about facing any harassment.
Opposition Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Sushma Andhare also demanded the setting up of an independent SIT to probe the case.