In a dramatic turn to the investigation into the suicide of a 28-year-old government doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district, a Pune-based software engineer arrested in the case has countered allegations against him by claiming the victim relentlessly pursued him for marriage and intimacy.
Prashant Bankar, the accused tech professional, surrendered to authorities on Saturday after a co-accused turned himself in. Police sources indicate Bankar was named alongside another individual in the doctor’s final message, scrawled on her palm before her death. However, in statements to investigators, Bankar alleged that the doctor had bombarded him with calls and messages, demanding he wed her and enter a physical relationship—a narrative that has ignited fierce debate amid the tragedy.
Bankar’s brother defended his sibling vigorously: “We had called him and told him to surrender. His social media records and call details have been given to the police. My brother never called the doctor. Instead, it was the doctor who used to call him repeatedly and harass him.” Adding to the family’s account, Bankar’s sister recounted their brief acquaintance: “Last month, my brother came to Phaltan to recover from dengue infection. The doctor treated him, and they exchanged numbers. Around 15 days ago, she proposed marriage to him. He turned down the proposal. During Diwali, she seemed tense, but we thought it was work-related. She was like family to us, and our mother treated her as her own daughter.”
Authorities have uncovered extensive digital evidence supporting elements of both sides. “A large number of chats and call recordings between the accused and the deceased have been found in which she is speaking about stress, pressure, etc.,” a police officer told.
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The doctor’s cremation took place Friday night in her native village in Wadwani tehsil, Beed district, where grieving relatives erupted in outrage. Demanding the death penalty for Bankar and others implicated, one family member told a news channel: “She had complained multiple times about harassment, but her grievances were ignored.” Another relative, cited in a PTI report, leveled additional accusations of workplace coercion: “Political people in Phaltan often asked her to change medical reports as she used to be regularly on autopsy duty. She had complained multiple times against the PSI (named in the note), but her complaints were not looked into.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the escalating crisis on Sunday, vowing accountability. “This is a very serious issue. A young doctor wrote her suicide note on her hand before committing suicide. It is very unfortunate, and the government, immediately taking action, has suspended the concerned police officials, and arrests are also being made. No one will be spared. Strict action will be taken… Politicising such a sensitive issue is very insensitive,” he stated, as quoted by ANI.
Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi confirmed the judicial developments: “A court remanded the techie in four-day police custody till Oct 28.” As the probe deepens, this case underscores the perils of unaddressed personal and professional strains in the medical field, leaving communities in Satara and beyond grappling with unresolved questions of accountability and support.