Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the handwriting in a note left by the woman medical officer in Satara district’s Phaltan town, whose death by suicide in October sparked Statewide protests, had been confirmed as hers.
Responding to BJP MLA Amit Satam’s questions regarding the probe, Mr. Fadnavis said in the Assembly: “As per the probe, the handwriting is hers, and the accused (Sub-Inspector Gopal) Badne is responsible for physically harassing her and falsely promising her marriage. She was exploited by the two accused arrested in the case.”
On October 23, the doctor, working at a government hospital as a medical officer, was found dead in a hotel room in Phaltan. The police found a handwritten note on her left palm accusing Badane of rape, and software engineer Prashant Bankar of mental and sexual harassment. The doctor was a tenant at the house owned by Bankar’s father in Phaltan.
The Sub-Inspector was subsequently dismissed from service after an inquiry found him guilty of “moral degradation, corruption, perversion, misuse of the post and powers of Police Sub-Inspector, and behaved in a manner that created a feeling of insecurity in the society”.
To Mr. Satam’s query regarding the status of the probe, the CM said the chargesheet will be filed soon.
To Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar’s questions regarding the collection of evidence, reports of the doctor being under severe work pressure and the possible involvement of more individuals, Mr. Fadnavis said, “Forensic evidence such as a trail of WhatsApp chats and CCTV footage of the hotel room has been collected, and analysis is in process. We are trying to file a chargesheet within 60 days. However, the investigation is taking time as other aspects are also being looked into.”
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Published – December 10, 2025 01:15 am IST
